Extinction, Explosion: Museum in between sea levels

In geological history, mass extinctions are followed by great biological explosions. Today, human activities that elevate greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere are escalating the next mass extinction in geological history.

We envision the museum ‘between sea levels’, a living ecosystem that is changed by the interaction of the visitors. Situated in a subtropical shore, the museum is a replication of the ecosphere of the surrounding environment, raised up to the expected sea level that will engulf most human habitats due to global warming. The carbon footprint of the visitors will be translated into a corresponding increase in the acidity of the aquarium, as a miniature model of our future ocean environment.

If the surrounding sea level reaches that in the museum, enclosed water and its residents will be reconnected to the ocean, and this opens up new opportunities for species explosion. When the visitors are no longer human, the museum will keep on existing, exhibiting the species that find the environment suitable, and interacting with new visitors that arise. The outcome of the museum is undetermined. Both nature and people's actions contribute to it, just like our climate future.

Project Team

EXEX Team: Ju-ya Wu, Pei-Ying Lin, Ling-Hsuan Wang, Li-Ting Chen

Project Name

Extinction, Explosion: Museum in between sea levels

Team Location

Taiwan, Taipei/The Netherlands, Zeist and Eindhoven

Category

Architecture & Design