Thousands of visitors to a Mexico City park were treated to an eerie sight in the treetops last weekend. Giant ghostly animals heads peered down from the canopy, fixing their intense gaze on the public in an environmental video installation for Marvin Festival 2017. Designed by studio Maizz Visual, the ephemeral intervention, called Animal Watching, was created to raise awareness about the destruction of ecosystems and animal species.
According to the WWF, almost half of the world’s wild animals have disappeared due to habitat destruction since 1975. In a bid to raise awareness about animal habitat loss, Maizz Visual transformed the forest into a canvas for art. The team, which has created similar interventions in the past, used a video projector of 15,000 lumens and tele zoom optics to project 3D animations of animals onto the canopy.
The animals’ giant 3D images appear startlingly lifelike with their animated movements and the depth experience of 3D created through the mix of light and tree leaves. A total of eight different animal faces appeared and disappeared in a continuous seven-minute loop put on between the evening hours of 8:30 and 11.
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“The animals had intense eyes that watched and followed the public passing by,” wrote the designers. “Animal Watching positively surprised thousands of viewers while, at least, for a brief moment, made the public thinking about animals with respect and admiration.”
Images by Revista Marvin
