PROJECT SUMMARY AND OBJECTIVE

Many people around the world are by now aware of global warming and the effect it has on our planet as a whole. The threat it poses to our existence is reported on and widely discussed in global conferences, on television, in newspapers, at schools, etc. but what is mostly lacking is an audio-visual presentation to show, in a clear and simple way, what is actually happening and why this could cause widespread devastation all over our planet.

This project will show this effect in a dramatic way that will appeal to the general public as well as the media and will have its own special attraction to children. In addition, people will be able to follow the progress of the project live in public places located in major cities in all the continents of the world as well as on the internet.

The project, named TICKTOCK, will let people experience audio-visually how the globe is warming in varying ways in different places and climates but how, irrespective of this variety in circumstances, time is running out for all of us.

STRATEGY AND WORKING PLAN

TICKTOCK is an art installation that shows the effects of global warming in a clear, distinct and effective manner. It consists of a simple installation to be set up around the world in different countries with their own eco systems and weather conditions.

A large sphere (about 3 metres in diameter) representing the globe made out of ice and, for extra dramatic effect (water dripping down and splashing onto the floor), is hung suspended a few meters above the ground or, if this is not possible in a particular location, simply placed on the floor. Inside this globe is a battery operated blinking red light - the light signifying the heartbeat of our planet and also the dangers posed by global warming.

Coming from inside the globe there will also be voices of people from around the world speaking about global warming and how it affects them or has affected them. The voices initially are muffled due to the fact that the loudspeakers are located in a steel column inside this compact block of ice but as the ice begins to melt the voices become clearer and more audible. As the ice melts, the perfectly shaped round globe is reduced to a mere puddle of water. The pulsating RED LIGHT representing the heartbeat of the earth blinks uniformly but finally as the rechargeable battery gradually dies the blinking red light become slower and weaker. The global warning voices, which will be completely liberated from their ice encapsulation by now, will at last be heard clearly and loudly about the impending catastrophe. It will be further enhanced by a red marking on the column with the latest projection to an increase of 3.2C by 2100 forecasted by the scientists.

Anyone who experiences TICKTOCK personally and with their own eyes or on the web will observe how ice melts either in a matter of just a few hours or over a number of days depending on the climate in a particular location. It will also remind them how time is running out for us, ‘tick tock-tick tock’.

We have initially selected 12 locations around the globe representing climates from the tropical to the polar and from the hot and the arid desert to the freezing tundra. The cities we have tentatively chosen so far to ensure maximum exposure and a global dispersal are Malmö, Beijing, Osaka, Kolkata, Moscow, Sydney, Åre, London, Amman, Reykjavik, Miami and Rio de Janeiro. The idea is to set up the installation in a central public square in each of these cities, to be selected in consultation with the local authorities. The installation will begin in a city and then move to the next city with the final city being Thule in Greenland in the hope that it remains frozen in years to come. Furthermore, all that will be left behind from the installation will be the central chamber where the loudspeakers will be placed as a memory of the project with visitors able to record their own concerns about global warming.

Local artists in each of the selected cities will be asked to collaborate in setting up the artwork. They will be provided with the cast for the globe and the necessary parts for the construction along with the assembly instructions. In essence, the participating artists will need to fill the cast with water and install the light and sound equipment before the freezing process takes place. The frozen globe will then be transported to the site and a web camera installed.

The live camera feed from each location will be relayed to and viewed on this website.