Julia Daser's "Flooded House"

Julie Daser (Manhattan, New York) is deeply interested transforming data from cold and clinical to emotionally resonate and moving. Flooded House is an interactive installation exploring the impact of personal accountability in creating sustainable actions. “Through my project,” Daser explains, “I underscore the lack of responsibility among high-income countries in addressing climate change.”

“I live in a country with one of the highest global CO₂ emissions.

When the temperature soars, I switch on my AC; during snowstorms, I activate my heater, and in the face of rising ocean levels, I find solace in high-tech flood barriers.

How is it that I live so unsustainably, yet, due to these climate adaptation strategies, barely seem touched by the catastrophic consequences of my own actions?

This reflection made me wonder about how our actions would change, if we directly experienced their consequences. This question is hard to answer, as climate change evolves slowly, unfolds in a highly complex manner, and remains inherently abstract and intangible. In my project, I harness the unique power of art to enable experiencing what cannot be put in words.

Flooded House is an interactive installation exploring the impact of personal accountability in creating sustainable actions. Through my project, I underscore the lack of responsibility among high-income countries in addressing climate change. Despite being major contributors to carbon emissions and other forces driving climate change, nations such as the US often neglect more vulnerable communities and ecosystems left to bear the consequences. That is not fair. In Flooded House, this scenario is inverted: the user’s actions directly determine the extent to which their own home is destroyed by rising ocean levels induced by climate change. Thus, actions unequivocally lead to consequences - as we make our bed, so must we lie in it.

I hope that Flooded House empowers users to explore the climate crisis from a perspective that nurtures empathy for all citizens of this world and accountability for our individual actions. Witnessing someone's home and belongings flood instills human urgency and empathy, motivating us to continue connecting towards a path of action rather than growing apart in the face of climate change. Instead of being hit with unencouraging statistics, I aspire viewers to feel, see, and interact with climate change, our collective tomorrow, and the tomorrows for generations to come. As a young artist, I am deeply concerned about our future on this planet, but believe that through empathy and accountability, we can strive towards a better future.”