Waves Rising: Designs for a Cooler Planet

Arja Karhumaa (Other), Päivi Häikiö (Other), Sabina Friman (Designer), Ayano Honda (Designer), Olena Mohylna (Designer), Fanni Perälä (Designer), Sara Urbanski (Designer)

    Research output: Artistic and non-textual formArtefactArt in coproductionpeer-review

    Abstract

    Photographic surface, sound and light form an installation body defined by materiality; undulating paper-thin waves spanning several meters in both length and height. The piece is supported by an animated infographic based on recorded data of changes in global mean sea level from the past century. The work informs and invites a dialogue on our relationship with the environment, and the future of our seas.

    Sea levels are rising largely due to human-induced global warming. As greenhouse gas emissions increase, water temperatures rise causing thermal expansion of seawater and the melting of bodies of ice which drive rising sea levels. Since 1916, the global mean sea level has risen by around 0,2m. In a high emission scenario, sea levels are projected to rise up to nearly a metre by the end of the century, and up to several metres by the end of the next two. This would have a disastrous impact on shorelines and coastal human settlements, especially during storms when sea levels rise additionally and flood coastal areas. For marine cities like Helsinki, this unpredictability poses a future threat.

    The installation aims to draw attention to this urgent environmental topic through silent activism. The spatial setup raises awareness in a quiet but effective way by creating monumental dimension and mood around the silent threat of rising sea levels.
    Original languageEnglish
    Place of PublicationEspoo
    PublisherAalto University
    Publication statusPublished - 2020
    MoE publication typeNot Eligible
    EventHelsinki Design Week: Design for a Cooler Planet - Helsinki, Finland
    Duration: 5 Sept 202025 Sept 2020
    https://www.helsinkidesignweek.com/

    Field of art

    • Design

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