Graduation project
Cruise Erosion
Pauline Lightburne
An installation critically reflects on the mass tourism and pollution caused by the cruise industry in the Mediterranean.
From June to August 2023, 165 cruise ships passed by the Port of Marseille. Pauline Lightburne's hometown, Marseille, is only one of many destinations in a network of cruise routes. 'Cruise erosion' shows a connected Mediterranean shoreline overwhelmed by giant ships that pollute and cause overtourism. Numerous strings connect the ships to their destinations. They form a large network with concentrated convergence points at popular destinations like Barcelona. The installation visualizes the massiveness of the cruise industry by juxtaposing scale models and data such as city population with cruise passengers. Cities look small when compared to the number of ships that visit them. This installation questions how cities can sustain having this many visitors and whether this type of tourism even makes sense.