Bubble Burst Formal Analysis
Atmospheric Bubble Burst
“Bubble” attempts to portray the future of our world if we continue on this trajectory. . Much of the reality is subjectively based on estimations the creators have made for what living in, supposedly Montreal, will be like in 2050 according to the creators’ interpretations of scientific research. The creators use their interpretations of scientific research to create a future reality in Montreal in 2050. This piece speaks the international language of visual media loudly and clearly. While the words are in English, one could still get the meaning of the experience without English literacy. The scenes and actions of the first person character create a narrative for us to understand within this simulation on our small screens. We can feel what it would be like to have to tap our fingers to fix the holes in our bubbles that protect us from the toxic gasses we have put into the universe on our own accord.
This interactive piece feels like a cross between a role playing narrative video game and a virtual reality experience because it takes you through the algorithm, but the algorithm is supposedly one’s own life down the road. This creates an abstract interaction with new media which is unlike the typical interaction humans have with media. The piece presents ideas through mini-games that the viewer participates in, but they are pre-designed so the viewer’s actions do not affect the media in any unique way. As the problems are easy to solve with the bubble at first, they gradually become more difficult to solve. This portrays a specific feeling of helplessness onto the viewer. It is designed to reflect the feeling of a drowning being that is slowly losing its supply of air, and thus life. This increase in difficulty pushes the feeling of helplessness onto the viewer. It could be related to the feeling of drowning — slowly losing air. By showing an interactive reality in the future that has so many worsening problems, the viewer can see themselves in the story, and hopefully, become more sympathetic to the issues at hand.
The style of this piece emulates the general direction new media is headed. In the modern media age, any sort of interactive medium is king. With video games, TV shows controlled by the audience, and virtual reality already on the radar of new media audiences, media cannot be considered cutting edge unless it somehow actively engages with the user. Audiences are struggling to sit at a computer and read long articles to garner meaning any longer. They want meaning to come and go as quickly as they can click to the next piece of content. This puts the onus on creators to suggest the lessons of their creations into the minds of audiences, while remaining true to their artistic vision. Bubble does a remarkable job of this. The storyline is neither extremely short or long, nor is it packed too densely with words or images that can combine to confuse the consumer rather than teach. Short statements which flash across the screen give the viewer a clear idea of what the purpose of the content is and how to understand it. This works well for modern audiences that are used to flashing text across movie screens which set the scene. Bubble borrows this tactic effectively, while also implementing a narrative video game style to further engage the viewer in a clearly different sort of media. The audience is never confronted with abstract ideas or complicated words they must sift through to find meaning. The creators do quite the opposite, seemingly designing the experience around the preferences of a middle schooler with ADHD. Cracks in the helmet which must be fixed from time to time provide a fun respite from the weight of climate change’s existential threat, allowing the viewer to breathe while also realizing the enormous threat a changing atmosphere poses to human life. Even the specifics of the scrubbing part mirror well how climate change is out of the bag already in terms of ecosystem and species extinction. When the consumer fills the first cracks, it is quick and easy. With the second lapse, the cracks appear to be larger and harder to fill, but the viewer still manages to save themselves. There is a key hint in how the viewer is never able to totally fill the cracks on the second one, but the storyline continues on anyway. In the final interactive section, the cracks in the person’s helmet begin to rapidly multiply so that it is impossible for the player to save themselves, signaling the final demise of the player and the human species as a whole. The simple, interactive model the interns that created “Bubble” used enabled them to connect with viewers regarding a phenomenon that poses the biggest threat to our society in recorded history. Rather than trying to use logic or numbers to create their argument, the creators’ interactive interface served as a smokestack of pathos appeals, geared towards younger generations who will be most impacted by our inability to alter the modern human lifestyle. Younger generations know this already, so an interactive story like this will greatly motivate them to begin taking action now so we can avoid some of the inevitable consequences of our disregard for Mother Earth. The character in the piece even seems to be a younger person, though it is never defined so it still appeals to people of all ages. Ideally, adults can consume this and realize how their grave mistakes have doomed the ensuing generations of people who will despise them.
In a rapidly changing world, the creators of “Bubble” poetically combined the reality of new media with the visual reality of our new world. The artists allow for audiences to easily understand and empathize with our future selves who will have to deal with the choices we make today.
