I read an article that argues that climate change isn’t the biggest threat the world, the growing human population is. This inspired me to think about other environmental issues that are caused either directly or consequently as a result of the way we live and inhabit our world.

Theme: Anthropogenic impact is the biggest threat to the planet and can be directly or indirectly contributed to every environmental issue, which is exacerbated by overpopulation, overconsumption and exploitation of resources.

I had an abundance of different thoughts and ideas that influenced my final design choice.  I wanted to create a VR panorama that was immersive, complex, and on the verge of overstimulation and overwhelm. I wanted to incorporate the ‘four elements’ of earth, water, air and fire to illustrate human impact and environmental destruction.

By placing the viewers perspective at eye level with the city skyline, it emphasises the cooling towers making them seem monolithic and overbearing. The bushfire backdrop signifies the widespread destruction of land and the decimation of countless animals .

Unfortunately, a lot of controlled burn permit applications are rejected by government throughout April when the conditions are ideal, with concerns that tourism would be negatively impacted over the Easter period.

 With Parliament house in the city, I wanted to draw connection to the political decisions that contributed to the horrific bushfires that ripped through regional Victoria over the summer.  By combining various visual elements, I was able to bring the city and the country together through the use of power station infrastructure and bushfires.