Fading Colors is a multi-sensory, self-guided installation that translates the crisis of coral bleaching into an immersive room-scale experience. Using holographic projections, and design-led storytelling, the project brings an environmental issue that affects everyone, yet is rarely seen firsthand, into a space where it can be felt.

The project sits at the intersection of design, purpose, and innovation utilising new technologies and experimental media workflows to talk about issues less talked about. Corals are losing their color, and so is the urgency around it. This installation was designed to change that, not through data alone, but through sensory immersion that makes the invisible visible.

As my XR Capstone project at Northeastern University, Fading Colors integrated learnings across AR, spatial design, holographic display, AI-assisted creative pipelines, and more into a single cohesive experience.

The holographic elements of the installation required quick prototyping. Experimenting with projection surfaces, viewing angles, scale, and content that reads clearly in a holographic format.

Generative tools used alongside traditional design software to explore visual directions while keeping creative control consistent.

Instead of producing new merchandise, BYOM invites visitors to bring what they already own — totes, t-shirts, jackets — and leave with something personal. On-site activations include embroidered coral patches applied to visitors' own items and quick screen-printed motifs using eco-friendly inks, turning existing clothing into one-of-a-kind pieces without creating new waste.

The campaign extends the installation's message into a tangible, participatory format: if the ocean doesn't need more plastic, your closet doesn't need more fast merch. Every piece that leaves the space carries both the Fading Colors identity and a story the visitor helped create.

The self-guided installation was presented publicly, with visitors moving through the experience at their own pace. The room-scale format fostered community engagement and sparked conversations about coral bleaching and environmental awareness.