Amid some serious concerns worldwide over the climate change and global warming, we saw our leaders meeting at Copenhagen to normalize the state of environmental affairs. However, certain green projects that kept on addressing these issues modestly throughout the year deserve a better mention than those failed talks. Here, we’re enumerating some of them:
– CO2 Cubes
Unveiled on December 7, 2009 at 17:30 at the Tycho Brahe Planetarium in Copenhagen, the “CO2 CUBES: Visualize a Tonne of Change” is a live multimedia art exhibit that aims to transform peoples’ perception of climate change and to inspire sustainable solutions. The CO2 Cube raises eyebrows with its huge size that shows one metric tonne of CO2 (1 tonne of CO2 = 8m³). It comes to around the size of a three-story building. The interactive project educates people by making visible the monumental scale of carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere by human activity.
– Ice Bear Sculpture
In an attempt to send out a strong message on climate change, Mark Coreth, a master sculptor of animals in motion, is carving a 1.8 meter bear sculpture in Kongens Nytory Square in Copenhagen, Denmark. The life-size Ice Bear will be carved by Mark and his team from a block of ice that encases its bronze skeleton. Dubbed as Ice Bear, the project will seek to enlighten masses on how global warming and climate change is affecting inhabitants of the Arctic. The height of the polar bear sculpture will match the average thinness of the floating sea ice (as revealed by the Catlin Arctic Survey) in the Arctic Ocean exactly.
Artists Agnieszka Gradzik and Wiktor Szostalo used the organic material to create wicker-people that embrace the tree. These literal tree huggers signify world population. Several wicker-people are found hugging a lonely tree at the “Lonely Tree, Lonely People” exhibit, while others wait for their chance to show their love to the lone tree.
The Melting Men ice sculptures by the Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo depicted how the glacial caps in Greenland and Antarctica are fast vanishing. Placed on steps in the central Gendarmenmarkt square, Berlin, the sculptures were the specimens of climate change art.
A futuristic building façade dubbed as the Living Light is a permanent outdoor pavilion in Peace Park, at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul, Korea. Not only does it display the air quality of the region, but also depicts if a particular day was better or worse than the same day last year. Designers Soo-in Yang and David Benjamin have done a commendable job in creating this gem of a sculpture.
Fred Georges recently displayed an 8.75-foot (2.6 meter) model of the SOLAR PEACE SCULPTURE at Hotel FOX, located at Jarmers Plads 3, in Copenhagen on December 10-20, 2009. Where the original sculpture is a 50-foot (15.24 meter) swinger showing oil barrels, solar panels, and an interactive media center, the replica mimicked the former fully.
– The Cloud
A massive structure composed of filigree central columns will keep Londoners informed on weather, Olympic race results and spectator numbers at the Olympic Park. The Cloud, devised by an international team of architects, artists and engineers, will feature 400-foot-tall interlocked towers. Powered with numerous solar powered plastic bubbles, the completely off-the-grid structure will serve as an observation deck and a park as well. It was shortlisted in a competition set up by London Mayor Boris Johnson.
– The Canary Project
The Canary Project wishes to deliver messages about climate change using artistic mediums of all kinds. Utilizing visual ways, such as professional photography, performance art, fashion and graphic design, the nonprofit organization vocally spreads a green message on climate change.
