Opening our eyes to human inaction

The extinction of species can often feel like a distant, unfamiliar problem. Something happening on the other side of the world. We don’t see endangered jaguars or lemurs in our forests. And because we don’t see the problem, we don’t feel responsible. That disconnect creates two dangerous beliefs. Whether we feel it’s not our fault or there’s nothing we can do to help. 

Mission Faune, the new Zoo de Granby Foundation, wants to fight these misbeliefs and help preserve animals from all around the world. But it needed to raise recognition and funds.

To launch the Mission Faune Foundation, dedicated to protecting endangered species and reintroducing them into the wild, we created In the Blink of an Eye, an endangered exhibition. It brought light to the Foundation while making the impact of human inaction visible and personal. It wasn’t just an exhibition: it was a wake-up call. By linking the simple act of blinking to the disappearance of endangered animals, we helped people realize that ignoring the problem accelerates extinction.

The exhibition featured three hand-knit portraits of endangered animals protected by the Foundation. Each piece was meticulously crafted, embodying the beauty and fragility of the species it represented. Integrated with facial recognition technology, the artworks unravelled and disappeared every time a visitor blinked. This small, involuntary act suddenly turned into a destructive force, showing that inaction has an impact.

The visual identity drew from Mission Faune’s existing brand, reusing its colour palette and typography. For the exhibition title, we created a custom typeface that blended knitting grids with pixel-based recognition systems.

Complete with labels, signage and educational panels, In the Blink of an Eye was a real exhibition that, unlike any other, vanished before your eyes.

This symbolic gesture became a powerful metaphor for how turning a blind eye can quickly lead to irreversible loss.

Held in an art gallery and launched digitally on Earth Day, the project stopped people in their tracks, stirred real emotion and reframed extinction as a consequence of our modern life.

We associated several mechanisms with one simple behaviour: the closing of our eyes. This delicate action needed to trigger a chain reaction that would destroy the artwork. A facial recognition camera connected to a rewinder, combined with the synchronicity of the visitors’ eyes, brought to life the shortest exhibition in history. One that was threatened by humans.

The wool used for the artworks was recycled into sweaters, which were auctioned off to benefit the Foundation.

The Mission Faune Zoo de Granby Foundation actively supports the Zoo de Granby’s conservation, scientific research and educational initiatives. It works to preserve biodiversity and raise public awareness of current environmental issues. Join us in this vital mission for the future of our planet. Because together, we can make a real difference. Supported by the Société zoologique de Granby and its Foundation, Mission Faune aims to address the pressing issues related to biodiversity loss.