A new public art commission produced by Artichoke – the creative team behind the international Lumiere Festival – is lighting up Bloomberg Arcade in the City of London until 10 January, to inspire climate action.
Commissioned by Bloomberg Philanthropies and designed by NOVAK, in collaboration with Hazel Dunn and Ed Carter, the immersive installation will illuminate the full length of Bloomberg Arcade with shape-shifting projections highlighting the impact of human-led climate change on our planet.
As world leaders meet in Madrid for the COP25 climate change conference, the light and sound installation will invite the public to experience and reflect on animated scenes depicting the consequences of climate change as they unfold beneath their feet.
Issues captured in the vibrant projected landscape and accompanying soundscape will range from deforestation and bee extinction, to coral bleaching and global warming.
“Bloomberg Philanthropies believes in the transformative power of public art and its ability to inspire and engage communities,” said Jemma Read, Global Head of Corporate Philanthropy, Bloomberg LP.
“We hope this collaboration with long-standing Bloomberg Philanthropies partner Artichoke will inspire Londoners to take bolder action to address the climate emergency.”
“Even as we are bombarded with daily messages about the calamity that we are facing, we still find it all too easy to turn away,” said Helen Marriage, CEO of Artichoke.
“Art offers us another language that can reach into people’s consciousness with fresh urgency. It is able to surprise and delight and at the same time transform the way people see the world and their role within it.”
As patterns run in a continuous sequence, an original, synchronised soundtrack produced by composer Ed Carter adds to the sense of constant motion and urgency. The score draws on climate and environmental data from 1880 to the present day, combined with recordings from the natural world that reference the changing visual imagery.
The music reflects the alarming rates of change observed across climate indicators, including arctic sea ice volume, seasonal monthly temperature, global forest cover, and the decline in UK pollinating insects, among others.
In Imminence, the striking juxtaposition between vibrant aesthetic and sombre subject matter encourages people to look twice and consider the reality of the climate emergency.
