The extinction of species is not just about creatures that will disappear forever; they are also sounds we will never hear again.
Nature is vanishing at a rapid rate: since 1970, wildlife populations have declined by an average of 69%, as reported in WWF’s 2022 Living Planet Report.
While this gradual disappearance is hard to notice in everyday life, the exhibition compresses the timeline into a more tangible comprehensible experience. It offers a sensory encounter that is hard, if no longer possible, to experience in the real world.
By scanning small QR codes, visitors access a page with audio recordings and brief information about lost creatures. Simultaneously, light effects activate, allowing viewers to see a moving shadow of the animal at its actual size. Two types of light effects are used: a static shadow cast by a spotlight and a moving shadow projected onto the wall. These life-sized shadows, cast without their real hosts, create an emotional dissonance—between a visible presence and an actual absence.
The exhibition concludes with the final symphony of "the world that will not exist", composed of the sounds of extinct species, native to the area where exhibition takes place.
The stage of the project: concept, realization in progress.
The collages include elements generated by Midjourney AI, further refined and edited in Photoshop.
“The projection of tarpans, the wild horses, once roamed across Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The primary causes of the tarpans' disappearance were human activities: intense hunting, land development for agriculture, and the destruction of their natural habitats. It is believed that the last tarpan in the wild was killed in Ukraine in the early 19th century, while the last captive individuals survived until the end of that century. Interestingly, tarpans were relatively small, sturdy horses with a grayish coat and a characteristic dark stripe along their backs. Such traits can still be seen in some modern horse breeds, particularly the Polish Konik, a breed developed in the 20th century to partially restore the tarpan’s appearance. Koniks are a hybrid breed that inherits some features of tarpans and are used to maintain ecosystems similar to the environments where wild horses once lived.”
“Aurochs, ancestors of modern domestic cattle, were among the most majestic wild oxen in Europe and played a vital role in the ecosystems of Ukraine and Eastern Europe. However, beginning in the Middle Ages, they gradually disappeared, mainly due to human pressures. Hunting aurochs was popular, and their meat was considered a delicacy. Additionally, their natural habitats were lost as land was increasingly developed for agriculture. The last aurochs died in the 17th century in Poland. Thanks to genetic research, a project in Germany in the 20th century aimed to restore the aurochs’ appearance. The resulting "Heck cattle" resemble aurochs physically, though they are not genetically identical, and are used in projects to restore biotopes where aurochs once lived. Today, such programs in western Ukraine and other parts of Europe help restore natural landscapes and preserve biodiversity, partially reviving the role and appearance of aurochs in the wild.”
