Animal Perception Made Visible
Ziyi Tang
As urbanization increases, people do not get the chance to be close to animals and do not appreciate how animals add vital diversity to this planet. Human activities like insecticide use cause habitat loss and climate change to the environment. Eventually, some animal species face the danger of extinction. In order to preserve the ecosystem, I believe people need to be familiarized with other species on Earth and understand how their existence helps balance the ecosystem.
For Animal Perception Made Visible, I created documentaries that introduce the perspectives of two representatives of endangered species—bees and moles—to the audience. The bee documentary aims to introduce a bee’s journey to find flowers using bees’ abilities to detect magnetic fields and ultraviolet light from flowers. The mole documentary explains moles’ olfactory mapping and ability to smell underwater.
By following those narratives, people become the targeted animal in the video and experience animals’ senses visually. I include my voice-over in the video to narrate those animal journeys so people can understand how animals benefit from their special senses in nature. Overall, Animal Perception Made Visible aims to provide an immersive experience for people to enjoy bees’ and moles’ senses while learning their significance in nature.