Bodies of Water - Interactive Game
Overview
This is my project when I participated in the studio at Tongji University, College of Design and Innovation. In one month, my team members and I completed the research, fieldwork, and final design. This project was exhibited for two months as an interactive installation for the 13th Shanghai Biennale. The theme is Bodies of Water.
Tools
Figma, Miro, Photoshop
Platform
iPad, Desktop
My Role
Research, UI Design, Prototyping
Time
2020
13th Shanghai Biennale: Bodies of Water
Bodies of Water, the exhibition, will be in dialogue with the history and geography of Shanghai, both a testament to our transspecies collectivity. It will unravel across the city, beginning at the PSA, a former coal-electric plant that fueled the industrialization of the Huangpu River, a cauldron of accelerated production and bodily mobilization. Beyond the PSA, the exhibition will expand to other important locations: the Sunke Villa at the Columbia Circle—one of the historical remnants of Shanghai’s colonial control of the environment, created from the drying of its original wetland ecosystem—and the former building of the Commercial Printing Factory—a publishing house that printed the school books used to unify knowledge across the country.
Theme
The theme of the Biennale is intimately connected to Shanghai and the 5,000-meter descent of the East China Sea of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s meltwaters, located at the intersection of the Huangpu and the Yangtze Rivers, and in the vicinity of the human-made Jing-Hang Grand Canal. Particles dragged from up to 6,300 kilometers of sediment are metabolized by edible plants at the Yangtze Delta, China’s most fertile agricultural site. Mineral and organic matter, traveling suspended as bodies of water, is then embodied, the flow of water reconstructing geographies and vitalizing organisms.
Research
The History of Xinchapu
Taopu was one of the first chemical industrial zones in Shanghai. Since 1954, a lot of factories were established, such as pens, soaps, and batteries. They have achieved huge economic development for the city, but it has also inevitably polluted the nearby environment.
Fieldwork
In Shanghai, there has been no large-scale water pollution in recent years, but in fact, there were many river pollutions a few decades ago. It is easy for our generation and future generations to ignore this history. So our goal is to promote stories about pollution through the media and attract the attention of society.
So our group went to Xinchapu, the most polluted water area in Shanghai. We want to take a look at the current water body over there, as well as the surrounding people and environment.
Design an interactive game that is both educational and entertaining to help a new generation of children remember history and learn how to protect the water environment.
Design
The Story started in 1954
The story of the game takes place in the area of Xinchapu. Under the guidance of NPC, you need to complete every step of the task to make the town better.
Different types of Factories
In the shop, users can see various types of factories. They will bring benefits, but also affect the environment.
Build them on the Map
Users can freely choose and build the factories they want on the map, and earn income for the town.
The Environment changes over time
The environment on the map will change with time and the construction of factories, and pollution will gradually become serious. Users can feel the destructive power of industry on water bodies through this process.
