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Recent research indicates that the climate crisis has affected the entire world for decades, yet responses to it have been disappointing. However, politicians have paid more attention to the climate crisis alongside reports of rising global average temperatures. According to the 2019 United Nations Environment Report, there have been numerous protests and demonstrations, not only from individuals but also from arts activists around the world.
In this way, climate warnings have been conveyed through works of art aimed at raising awareness, making people more concerned about climate issues through imagery of current and future climate crisis phases. Initiatives such as ART 2030 (a non-profit organization working to promote UN sustainable development issues through art) address the climate crisis through artistic means, and this is crucial in providing information about climate conditions in the best way to reach a wide audience.
Through temporary installations in buildings or public spaces, artworks are created in various ways to disseminate a predetermined message. Here are six art installations in squares, parks, or buildings to raise awareness about the global climate crisis:
For FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature / Klaus Littmann
(Translation: For the Forest - The Endless Allure of Nature)
To raise awareness about climate change and the damage caused by deforestation, Littmann placed 300 different tree species at the Wörthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt, Austria, and will replant them around the stadium after installation. The artwork, inspired by a drawing by Austrian artist Max Peintner, serves as a warning that one day we may have to view nature as zoo animals.
TOTEMY / Alicja Biala e Iwo Borkowicz
The sculptures have been installed on the ground floor of the Baltyk building, designed by MVRDV in Poznań, Poland. Each pattern and shape of the artwork embodies statistical research on the environment. The abstract forms can be explored by referring to the QR code printed on each sculpture. According to architect Iwo Burkowicz, the idea behind the project is to present expressive, but also objective and realistic content.
RAMPANTE / Wellington Cançado, Renata Marquez, Tande Campos
The building, situated in the Sesc 24 de Maio facade during the 12th São Paulo Architectural Borders, served as the basis for the “Warming Stripes” chart, which depicts climate change in Brazil from 1901 to 2018 using colored lines. Data on the average temperature changes in São Paulo were incorporated into this initial study to create a chart that fit the building's dimensions and harmonized with the existing colors. According to the designers: “The further we move away from Earth, the hotter the air becomes, and the more precarious our existence becomes, as well as that of other living things on the planet.”
Ice Watch / Studio Olafur Eliasson
(Temporary translation: Ice clock)
Arranged in an outdoor circle, twelve blocks of ice sourced from Greenland symbolize the twelve hands of a clock in artist Olafur Eliasson's installation. The work seeks to raise awareness of climate change through direct public exposure to the ongoing ice melt, highlighting the importance of time in the process. The project was first held in Copenhagen in 2014 and in subsequent years, it has been placed in Paris and London.
Support / Lorenzo Quinn
(Temporary translation: Support)
Lorenzo Quinn's sculpture at the Venice Art Biennale 2017, representing two hands emerging from the Grand Canal, is located within the Ca'Sagredo Hotel. The hands appear to be grasping the building surrounded by water, a warning about the climate crisis and the vulnerability of the environment in the face of this issue. The sculpture's symbolism relates not only to human actions destroying nature but also to humanity's ability to respond to and intervene in this context.
Breathe with me / Jeppe Hein e ART 2030
(Temporary translation: Let's breathe together)
The installation, inaugurated at the United Nations headquarters in New York, was part of ART 2030 during the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. Located in Central Park, the project invites the public to participate in a collective effort to address air pollution. In two breaths, each participant makes two strokes from top to bottom (one stroke per breath) within a curved white board. The project reflects the potential of collective and community action, while also highlighting that the air we breathe is part of the climate and the world we share.
