Overview:

The theme for this year's CAVE piece was evolution. Evolution is the theory that life forms continually change from one form to the next over millions of years. This change is dictated by climate, environmental, and external and internal stimuli. It is a theory that is constantly under debate but it cannot be argued that, even if it exists or not, it teaches a very valuable lesson.

Life must change in order to survive.

Many of the lessons I have learned this semester center around the above statement. People find themselves in new situations and new problems everyday of their entire lives. Yes, there are "up" and "down" periods where situations are exceedingly calm or turbulent, but the fact remains that everything is in flux.

Creature, animals, and people are going to be surprised by things they could not have imagined and they face two possible out comes. One, they can either call it quits and allow the situation to roll over them, i.e. giving up, running away, or in an evolutionary sense, go extinct. Two, they can face it head on and survive it with what ever it means or takes to do so. Winston Churchill was quoted saying; "If you are going through hell, keep going." The most successful people and or creatures always choose the latter. If they want to continue striving towards their goals, people as well as creatures must be able to change themselves or their behaviors in order to face the challenges before them.

It is also important to remember and learn from our past so we can plan for the future. We cannot predict what is yet to come but we can surely respond to it in a good beneficial manner based off of the lessons we have learned from similar experiences in the past.

The CAVE Piece:

This CAVE piece, entitled "An Evolved Look", is the display of the evolutionary path of a Z'hurlan upon an interdimensional educational platform. It shows five major points in the evolution of this creature from a microorganism to its modern day representation. All of the distinct geological periods are displayed by five seperate unconnected platforms. In-between lay all the various forms it has had to evolve into over the many millennia of its species' existence.
Each biological incarnation is represented with a path and environment reminiscent of the creature's original habitat.

The center of the platform is a gathering place for students and scholars alike. Any one who is interested in studying this ancient device and the accurate holograms it produces. Located in its own pocket dimension the platform is guarded from intruders and the ravages of time. It has begun to decline in recent centuries due to a failing power source located at its core.

The only living inhabitant is a Dreek caretaker by the name of Cal-Kern who has watched over this device for many years. In addition to maintaining the plat form, he acts as a guide and teacher to those who travel here for the device's knowledge.
Other such devices detailing the evolutionary paths of other creatures are known to exist but none are accessible from this one.

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