Mission Faune Presents an Exhibition That Disappears in the Blink of an Eye

Just in time for Earth Day, Zoo de Granby is opening eyes to the alarming state of animal preservation. The campaign, deployed in collaboration with LG2, supports the zoo’s Mission Faune foundation, which is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the world’s biodiversity. The centrepiece of the campaign is an interactive exhibit called In the blink of an eye, which uses yarn to show the real-life impact of our inaction and serves as a reminder that we cannot close our eyes to the survival of endangered species.

It’s estimated that one million of the 8 million animal species on Earth are threatened, and 50% of species in Canada are thought to be in decline. So, to open people's eyes to the alarming situation, In the blink of an eye used custom technology and knitted tapestries depicting endangered animals - the jaguar, the lemur and the turtle - which unraveled a little more each time visitors closed their eyes in front of it. Blink by blink, the animals slowly unravelled as more people visited until they totally disappeared.

“The Zoo de Granby's mission goes beyond entertainment. As a non-profit, our mission is to raise awareness for the conservation and protection of wildlife. That's why we've launched Mission Faune, which brings together all our initiatives to preserve and protect biodiversity. Our flagship commitments, to protect 70 species at-risk in Quebec and around the world and to return 5,000 animals to the wild, requires large-scale mobilisation and funding. In this sense, by supporting the Mission Faune foundation, we can truly reverse the extinction process.” said Marie-Claude Landry, director, Mission Faune Foundation.

The knitted works on display were the work of artist Lysanne Latulippe and were created from wool, a fibre that has much in common with endangered species: natural and renewable, but also vulnerable. The colours of the tapestries were inspired by Mission Faune foundation's visual platform, and the typography echoes the codes of a knitting pattern. Production, scenography, technology and visual identity of the temporary art exhibit are the work of the LG2.

On the technological side, the challenge was to associate several mechanisms with the same behaviour: closing eyes. This delicate action had to provoke a chain reaction that would destroy the work. A facial recognition camera connected to a rewinder, combined with the synchronicity of visitors' blinks, gave life to the shortest exhibition in history, an exhibition threatened by humans. The objective of creating a shocking realisation of the situation while demonstrating the direct impact of inaction was thus achieved.

“To encourage Quebecers to join the movement and support the new Mission Faune foundation, we needed a unifying initiative. Since the extinction of a species is a reality that we tend to see less, we turn a blind eye to it. Getting the word out about the foundation to maximise support for its mission remains a challenge, which is why we turned to a moving exhibition to plunge people to the heart of the message and get them to interact through the power of experience. In this way, we bring people to the realisation that we are both the cause and the solution.” said Geneviève Langlois, partner and ECD, LG2.

Now that the exhibition is over, you can watch the experience on Zoo de Granby's social media channel. The initiative is also rolled out on Québecor platforms, including TVA+. The general public is invited to contribute to Mission Faune and to Granby Zoo's biodiversity efforts by selecting a project that is close to their hearts by following this link.