Synopsis:

Created by ecologically-engaged art collective Ayer Ayer Project, ShoreSeekers.World is an online 360 VR artwork that shares the experience of traversing the world of shore debris trash. ShoreSeekers.World is a digital extension of the Shore Debris Table artwork created by Ayer Ayer Project in 2019.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

ShoreSeekers is an opportunity to consider our relationship with plastics. Players, in assuming the role of debris collectors working their way across the Johor Straits, are prompted to develop a deeper understanding of the plastic pollution crisis, in its complexities and contradictions. Can we truly think of ourselves as detached from nature, at a time where microplastics have found their way into the air, our food and even our bodies? How do we make sense of the various scales at play – time, space and our sense of agency?

Shoreseekers also draws upon the histories embedded in our coastlines. The Orange Laut, sea-faring indigenous peoples who first settled in the area, are deeply intertwined with that of the sea. Their understanding of the marine world is layered with their beliefs and culture – this site was first recorded by their ancestors; the next spot is excellent for fishing; that area over there is inhabited by spirits, and should be crossed carefully.

The Johor Straits are thus reframed as a site of (re)discovery, rather than an environment that needs to be transformed and wrestled into obedience.