Overview
“At The Waterline” is a 8’x9’ acrylic mural in the Northwest Building on Harvard’s campus. The building houses many of the university’s research labs, offices, and classrooms, primarily in the neuroscience, bioengineering, and computational analysis department. In such a scientifically-oriented environment, this mural aims to bridge the dialogue between the science communication and its social ramifications. The design was iterated upon after several conversations with my peers, focused on becoming architects of our future.
Proposed illustration. Made with Procreate on the iPad.
Synopsis
The Water Line unfolds in three parts: the PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE, and seeks to answer questions about our world. What does it mean to exist in a liminal space? How do we bear the weight of past wrongs and summon the courage to build a better future? What does it mean to be human, and how can we be driven by love and care for this planet?
The tree is the life force weaving the three possibilities. Beneath the waterline lie a network of destruction. Highways entangle across the mural to tie down the roots of the tree, suffocating the environment. It is hard to breathe; how much longer can we hold our breaths, our futures suspended, before we gasp for air? At the waterline, we find homes and landmarks caught in limbo. Are we floating, or sinking? That ambiguity mirrors our present reality. Yet, above the waterline, an imagined future emerges, illuminated by light radiating from the tree’s core. Here, water lends itself to the sky, we begin to believe a future filled with care is not only possible but inevitable. Drawing from solarpunk, a movement grounded in communal, sustainable, and technologically advanced futures, we move towards a symbiotic and compassionate future where humanity and nature thrive together. The organic forms of the buildings symbolize resilience and our ability to adapt to the needs of all life. The silhouette of hidden doves in the canopy foliage symbolizes sweeping change.
Ultimately, At The Waterline straddles the audience between worlds that teases out our dilemma and responsibility. The mural directs the viewer's gaze to the waterline, where we stand at the intersection of peril and possibility, and urges us to choose a future led by hope.
Intended viewing experience.
3 hour timelapse of the painting process.
Finished Mural
