MOTHER OF THE FOREST
KYLIE CARAWAY
Project Description
Mother of the Forest is an immersive, virtual reality experience that explores a sequoia tree’s ecosystem through embodied perspectives of various species. Through the use of 360 video, digital environment design, and interactivity, Mother of the Forest pairs scientific information gathered from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks experts with artistic creation to exhibit the hidden truth, beauty and precarity at play in this ecology. Through the illustration of symbiotic relationships, it asks users to contemplate their own role in intertwined ecologies impacted by human activity, resulting in biodiversity decline and climate change. In doing so, it depicts the complex webs of a sequoia forest that needs us, just as much as we need it.
BIO
Kylie Caraway is an animator, storyteller, and educator whose work bridges fields including digital media production, environmental communication, speculative fiction, and information visualization. She received her Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, where she concentrated on animation, visual effects, and game design. Her current research and practice focus on the interplay between scientific research, interactive media, and visual pedagogy to promote experiential learning for environmental advocacy. When she’s not busy creating new media, she enjoys watching films, playing video games, reading science fiction novels, hiking, cooking and traveling to find new stories to share.