Translucent figurative sculpture blends into horizon as metaphor about climate change

Using 3D printing technology to create the figure from translucent acrylic material, Rossi's piece drains of its colour as it moves upward. At a distance, the sculpture appears smooth, yet upon close inspection the sharp, pixelated edges become clear. From afar, the spectator sees what seems to be a sweet child. Upon closer inspection, the youthful figure appears to transform into an almost menacing robotic figure. Suddenly, her identity has changed, reflecting how identity has become warped due to technology. 

Rossi's man-made object also grapples with a man-made problem—climate change. The colour draining from the sculpture is a metaphor for coral bleaching, a phenomenon that occurs when water temperatures rise due to climate change. As coral is submerged for an extended period of time in water that is too warm, it becomes stressed and expels the algae that both gives it colour and 90% of its energy. Once the algae are expelled, the coral slowly begins to starve, revealing the white skeleton inside, as its flesh turns transparent.

Coral bleaching changes the entire ecosystem in the vicinity — a catastrophe that not only touches the fish who eat coral, but also the birds that eat the fish, and even the humans that rely on the region for food and income. In this context, Rossi's work becomes a harsh reminder of how that which disappears, often is not easily replaced.