Project Poldergeist - An animated campaign for sea level rise strategy
Comparison of Great Garuda island concept with Indonesia’s national symbol
Dredging ship captain - character design, animation and cleanup
Case Client: Penn Animation as Research Lab & Deltares
Timeline: February – August 2022
Team: 3 Penn Animation as Research Lab students, 2 Penn professors
Tools: After Effects, ToonBoom Harmony, Figma, Miro
Project Overview: As an animator and climate researcher in the Penn Animation as Research Lab, I worked with hydraulic consulting firm Deltares to provide a clear picture of the 4 strategies to protect the Netherlands from sea level rise, and to destigmatize Meebewegen, an innovative flood adaptation strategy involving the use of nature-based flood barriers. My team created 2D animated content to visually recontextualize Deltares’ cartoons. We consulted with global experts in water management and scientific illustration and revised the videos using their feedback.
Research Structure
Challenge
Cartoon of public frustration at Meebewegen concept. Exclaiming “then move!”
As a Visual Researcher and Motion Designer at Penn’s Animation as Research Lab, I worked with Deltares to destigmatize Meebewegen, an innovative Dutch flood adaptation strategy involving the movement of property and use of nature-based flood barriers. Though intended to simplify the 4 strategies against sea level rise, existing visual content was confusing to viewers, so my team created 2D animated content to visually recontextualize the strategy.
Early-Stage Insights & Analysis
My team studied Deltares’ cartoons on the 4 strategies to protect the Netherlands from flooding. We decided to recontextualize them in an animated context, expanding on the visual metaphors through animated metaphors and time lapses of the shoreline.
My team studying Deltares’ visualization of the 4 strategies to protect the Netherlands.
‘Summer Oak’ natural hospitality illustration (Jeroen Helmer).
My team deeply resonated with Jeroen Helmer’s ecosystem illustrations for ARK Rewilding Nederland, which highlighted the complex natural relationships within Dutch ecosystems. Inspired by these visuals, we framed our design strategy to destigmatize Meebewegen around the idea of restoring ecosystem dynamics to create natural flood barriers.
Ideation
My team and professors devised a series of overarching visual metaphors to simplify the data into one story. We brainstormed Deltares’ 4 Strategies as:
We convened on war room plans – Meebewegen as a negotiation due to its alignment with the client’s goal of framing Meebewegen as a peaceful solution to the Netherlands’ ongoing sea level rise problems.
Storyboarding & Testing
I developed a series of storyboarded visual metaphors, and edited my team’s work into an weekly animatic. We iterated on feedback from the Lab’s professors and visiting experts.
“River highways” animated concept for Beschermen Gesloten.
Comparison of Dutch Great Garuda island concept with Indonesia’s national symbol.
Deliverables
Our solution involved a motion-designed video that my team and I animated in 2D. We constructed unique, simplified visual metaphors to promote Meebeweegen in a time-based strategy.
1. Framing of Deltares’ visual content
War room strategies against sea level rise.
2. Depicting stakeholders and decision-makers
Engineer, designer, and politician characters.
3. Breaking down the first 3 strategies
Highlighting sustainable & unsustainable features.
4. Acknowledging Meebewegen’s public perception
Public perception of meebewegen cartoon concept.
5. Finishing with promotion of Meebewegen as peaceful
Land-building peat activated by rising water table.
Impact
Our videos have reached a combined 35k viewers, were shown at a COP 28 event, and has contributed to the global conversation about Meebewegen’s role in adaptation to sea level rise, both in the Netherlands and other coastal nations. View the full video and others I worked on here: