Mel Chin, American, born 1951
Unmoored, 2018
In Mel Chin’s Unmoored, New York City’s Times Square is seen from rising tides with ships floating above and plankton and other microscopic life swimming about. Through virtual reality, individuals get a sense for what New York City would look like if ice continues to melt from the use of fossil fuels. Mel Chin found that studies have revealed that the use of technology has decreased people’s empathy. In change, Mel Chin wanted this work of art to give empathy through technology instead of taking it away. Overall, the goal of this work is to have more people become aware of the urgency of climate change and its deeply devastating impacts through a method not normally known for doing so. Label by Callie Sties