Blurred Boundaries
Orange, CA
2025, Junior, Interactive & Multimedia
Project Description: Blurred Boundaries is a multimedia performance that combines painting, object performance, video, and narration. At the center of the video are painted wooden cubes, with each opposite face depicting either a portrait, a home, or a source of food—representing the parallels between both a mountain lion and myself, two figures in overlapping ecosystems. The triadic color scheme ties the elements together, representing the balance and tension among species, environment, and human interference. As I roll the cubes repeatedly, their shifting faces reflect the fragmentation of habitats caused by human expansion and natural disasters. The narration guides the viewer through a telling of how wildlife corridors—and their absence—can affect animal survival. This piece challenges the belief that human and animal worlds are separate, urging viewers to recognize our interconnected roles in shaping a future that supports biodiversity.
Reflection
One day in my hillside neighborhood, I saw a crowd of people, and at their center lay a deceased deer—likely the victim of a hungry mountain lion. I later learned that this was the result of a period of drought, extreme heat, and forest fires that had pushed wildlife into suburban areas, as they had nowhere else to go. This led me down a deep dive into learning how crucial wildlife corridors are in helping maintain Southern California’s ecosystem. I found that, given the limited number of land parcels and increased human-wildlife interactions—along with the frequency of wildfires, loss of animal territories, and shrinking food sources—these factors contribute to the decline of animal populations and ultimately threaten the stability of our ecosystem. Upon hearing about the Bow Seat competition and reading the sub-themes, I was inspired by my research to create something that could potentially bring awareness to the fragile relationship between humans and wildlife. I chose to use painting, video, and narration on wooden cubes because I wanted to bring movement and storytelling to something physical and symbolic.