AN IMMERSIVE EXHIBITION INSPIRING HOPE AND ACTION FOR A CLIMATE-POSITIVE FUTURE

Two life-sized monsters made of fishing industry debris greeted visitors who stepped into the Barefoot Gallery. The two monsters were exhibits of an ongoing exhibition that made visitors experience a climate-positive future. The Climate Positive Exhibition presented by the Creative Catalyst Fellowship (CCF) made visitors pause for a moment and think about not only sustaining the environment they live in, but also what happens if it could be regenerated.

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A closer observation of the two monsters revealed something quite serious: that each one of these items, from fishing nets to numerous amounts of plastics, abandoned rubber slippers, and shopping bags, was collected along the shores of Kalpitiya. The artist, Dilisiri Welikala, had been advocating for a cleaner ocean for many years. His exhibits at this exhibition reflect his dedication to keeping his home beach in Kalpitiya clean. An environmental art film titled 'The Monster's Cave' allowed visitors to catch a glimpse of Welikala's efforts to raise awareness among his community on the importance of keeping the beach clean. Flipping through a scrapbook made by him once again made visitors understand the public response to the government's initiatives, such as plastic collecting points, which were often empty and vandalised.

The tabletop puppet installation by Lakshika Rajapakse, a self-taught soft sculpture artist and storyteller, narrates the story of a group of scientists who discovered the alarming decline of the Bandula Barb, a critically endangered freshwater fish found nowhere else on Earth, back in the 2000s. The 100 Fish Suspension presented itself as a powerful tool for education and storytelling and had been used in interactive workshops for children.

A personal favourite of this writer is the exhibit by Dinoj Mahendranadan titled 'Bird Call'. Here, visitors were asked to pick up the tablet and make a call. But when you 'Dial a Forest', no one would answer from the other side. Instead, you would hear songs of birds, responding to your dial tone with feelings, and it all depends on how you choose to listen. Dinoj creates music by blending environmental waste materials with digital audio workstations (DAWs), crafting compositions that merge sounds of nature with innovation and sustainability.