In 2023, I had the opportunity to travel to the beautiful country of South Korea with fellow students from the Visual Communication program at the Academy of Arts Maastricht to participate in an educational exhibition focused on climate change.
Since 2006, the Nature Created by Design (NCBD) exhibition has offered creators from around the world the opportunity to address environmental issues through visual expression. A perfect opportunity to inspire one another and expand international networks!
This time, the exhibition focused on the theme “1.5”- the number representing the scientifically established value at which global warming will reach its peak before natural disasters escalate into catastrophic extremes.
Perhaps the most controversial topic in 2023 within this theme in the Netherlands is, of course, the nitrogen crisis—to name just one example. To poke fun at both supporters and opponents of this issue, I created the short, satirical animation “Carl: Hitting Boiling Point.”
The international exhibition was organized by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2023.
The project marks a special moment: not only it is my first 2D short animation ever, but at the same time it is also the first animation to be exhibited internationally!
CAST
Thorsten Sassen | Carl
Gijs Horsten | Otto
Willem Hulsewé | Wolf and Pigs
Renske Sassen | Museum Girl
BACKGROUND ART
Lisa Moulen
Text: Thorsten Sassen
Updated on 05/30/2026 10:21.