The Theatre Times: A rainforest has risen on the ground level of the Hong Kong Science Museum. Leaves rustle underfoot, stag beetles meander on the tree branches and exotic moths with wings a vivid shade of pea green blend into the foliage. And all of it is made of paper.
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Interactive exhibits that focus on conservation are great for getting kids of the coming generations interested in the natural world and will make them want to work to maintain it. It is often remarked that kids these days spend much less time exploring the outdoors than previous generations. There are a number of reasons for this shift, such as the accessibility of technology to children and more cautious parenting, along with the fact that millions of children worldwide are being raised in cities without the ability to explore actual wilderness. Having installations like this give kids living in cities an environment to see “nature”, while also making what I think is an artistic statement by creating a jungle completely out of paper and common paper materials. I was especially impressed by the baby chimpanzee because the form the artists were able to create is so realistic and contributes so much to immerse guests in this experience, which is really the goal. Sometimes people need to feel a connection to something to care about it.
Jane Goodall has been a major influence in many people’s lives for decades. She is a household name in the world of conservation and animal study. Goodall’s work with primates for 59 years is astounding. Her recent installation in Hong Kong is an interactive walk through the forest. This work brings her world into the busy lives of others while educating them on human’s impact on nature. The exhibit features an oversized primate that welcomes visitors with large glaring eyes. This plays with the viewers emotions and gets them to sympathize with the animals living in the forests that our world is destroying. With the exhibit being interactive and made out of paper, the paper is reflective of the damage that humans cause it as they wear it down, just as trees do. The 24 speakers placed throughout also help transcend the audience into the forest along with the visuals. Goodall’s work is important for our earth as it falls apart due to humans more and more each day, and with an installation like this one, more awareness can be raised in the public for change to happen.
Through Jane Goodall's paper forest exhibit Jane comments on a societal problem and aims to offer education, which in my opinion an artists most important job. As a person who is extremely passionate about the environment and living in an environmentally conscious way, this project particularly sparked my interest. However, Jane draws in a more public community in the sense that the exhibit is accessible to all people, especially children. The exhibit is not only beautiful, but incorporates animals and wildlife that potentially a person living in a large city such as Hong Kong may not have access to. She promotes education about the current condition of our environment, but awareness that we are in a state of crisis. Jane also particularly focuses on children, and providing then with education on how to become more environmentally aware at a young age in order to help to shape and influence their future values because after-all they will someday be the future!
Jane Goodall did groundbreaking work with primates for the better part of her life and the exhibit in Hong Kong demonstrates her continued passion to save the creatures she spent so many years studying. Rather than making another nature documentary to add to the numerous existing ones, Goodall took an artistic approach to spreading awareness of our impact on wildlife everywhere. The paper forest enraptures the kids that visit and shows them a picturesque view of natural habits. This targeting of youth is strategic as it gives those who walk through it an appreciation for an ecosystem that will continue to need their help as they grow up and are able to effect change. I personally thought that putting the paper forest on a cloud was such a bittersweet piece of thought put into the design. It acts as subtle social commentary on how our forests are not that now, and if future and current generations don't do something about the state of our environment, the ideals of the paper forest will always be a cloudy dream. That in itself is a striking note to leave to our future generations. -Magnolia Luu
This is so cool! In my opinion, it is an artist's responsibility to address the issues going on in the world around us, and climate change is one of the biggest. To me, one of the coolest parts of this is that it's made of paper! It's all biodegradable and it really is practicing what it preaches. Jane Goodall's impact on science and culture is extraordinary. She's a figure that just makes people happy. She evokes the same feelings as people like Mister Rogers and Bob Ross; everyone just loves them! It makes me so incredibly happy to see that young people can learn about her and her work. I'm glad that she's still working to educate children, which will inevitably secure her legacy as an educator and cultural icon!
I think that we can learn something from exhibitions like this. The initial project bid had many goals, and it seemed that the demands of the project required a material that is specifically not environmentally friendly. Upon further reflection, the creators realized that they were defeating the core mission of the project, and changed their process to reflect that. I think we are still floundering in the vestiges of traditional technical theatre, and there’s a world of other materials out there that we could learn and acquire the necessary tooling to use. That said, we would have to embrace a cultural shift and probably a shift in design strategies. For this singular application, it is exciting to see paper products chosen above other, easier materials. I do wonder if the paper was sourced from sustainable forestry practices, but there’s no information about that. Any which way, the end product is effective and beautiful.
I am so pleased to see the Jane Goodall is still working and fully active in the world around her. She is really someone who should be commended for the work she has done for the world at large. It is especially prescient now with the fires in the Amazon. I wish there were more people like her in the world fighting for the health and wellbeing of the natural world. Making this exhibit out of paper is such a nice touch to the exhibit at large. I feel like it just makes sense and makes such a bigger statement than if they had done it out of paper. I wish I could get to see this piece in person. It seems like a really interesting exhibit of her life and work. The little details like the lizard were so intriguing to me. I love the range of the scale they were able to achieve with such a limited range of materials.
This exhibit is truly incredible!! I wish i could see it in person! I can’t believe that all of that foliage is made entirely from paper. It looks so real! I grew up with a Dad who is an environmental engineer, so I’ve always tried to be conscious of the environment and what’s happening to our planet. We as humans create so much waste that we really need to find better solutions to dealing with it if we want to keep living on this planet. Forest conservation is incredibly important. We need to protect our forest and its wildlife. This exhibit is such a beautiful and powerful way of expressing these environmental concerns. The use of paper really shows how fragile the forests and wildlife can be. I hope that the people in Hong Kong see this exhibit and start to think about the ways in which they can be greener and less wasteful.
-Jillian Warner
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