India in Overshoot

What it is: A data installation that compares India’s Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity from 1961 to 2025, shown through four snapshots (1961, 1991, 2011, 2025), using origami forms to reveal the growing ecological deficit. After going through the exhibition, the participants then add their takeways to a VizChitra sustainabili-tree.

Visitor experience: Visitors see the installation which are basically stacked bars comparing biocapacity and ecological footprint built from origami shapes representing cropland, grazing, fishing, forest products, built-up land, and carbon. As they progress through time, they see the footprint grow taller and increasingly carbon-heavy, eventually exceeding biocapacity.

Last stage of the exhibit is a leafless tree. On different coloured leaves, participants write down either:

1. Something they learnt from the exhibit (light green leaf)
2. Something they pledge to do to preserve the environment (can be little individual change like “send in lesser prompts to ChatGPT” to more systemic like “reach out to government representatives” (dark green leaf)
3. Something they are now more worried about (brown leaf)

They then attach the leaves to the branches. The resulting VizChitra climate tree represents how climate action and strengthening biodiversity is a collective effort of talking about the issue, learning from it, worrying about it, and doing something. The density and colour of the leaves reveal where the group stands: learning, worrying, or acting.