DATA MANIFESTATION
Siyuan Huang
Arctic Sea Ice Volume, Frosted Acrylic, Length: 4 inches; Width: 4 inches, Height: 4.1 inches, 2.2 pounds (1 kg), 2018
IMAGE COPYRIGHT: Nicole Torres & Karin von Ompteda
This piece presents Arctic sea ice volume from 1980 to 2012. The seventeen layers of frosted acrylic represent sea ice volume during “even” years (i.e. 1980, 1982, etc.). The data is communicated through the size of the organically-shaped cut-outs; the larger the cut-out, the lower the volume of sea ice measured that year. Designed for the human hand, this piece is meant to be touched and explored by gallery visitors.
From Design and Science Exhibition Cataloge, Leslie Atsmon
Michelle Lu
Instability, plywood, glue, Length: 7 inches; Width: 4.5 inches; Depth: 2.25 inches; Weight: 0.75 pounds, Length: 11.5 inches; Width: 7.5 inches; Depth: 3.75 inches; Weight: 1.25 pounds, 2017
IMAGE COPYRIGHT: Nicole Torres & Karin von Ompteda
This project estimates the number of people within different countries that have been affected by drought, floods, and extreme temperatures in 2009. The countries represented are Ethiopia and Brazil (listed in descending order). These precarious objects have been scaled to represent the total number of people from each country experiencing instability associated with global climate change.
From Design and Science Exhibition Cataloge, Leslie Atsmon
Cecilia Salcedo-Guevara
The Comfort of Ignorance, 100% wool yarn, leather, Length: 50 inches; Width: 38 inches, WEIGHT: 3 pounds, 2017
IMAGE COPYRIGHT: Nicole Torres & Karin von Ompteda
It can be difficult for people to relate climate change data to their everyday lives. Yet, what if that information was lying on the living room couch? The bar graph that is woven into this blanket illustrates global surface temperature from 1965 to 2015, relative to average temperatures from 1951 to 1980. The data is presented in five-year increments, and illustrates dramatic changes in temperature over time. These temperature changes range from low, and even negative, values (i.e. colder than the long-term average) on the left side of the graph, to progressively higher values on the right, all of which are positive values (i.e. warmer than the long-term average).
Whether or not an individual is affected by the data lies at the core of this project. The blanket is deceptively comfortable, serving as a metaphor for the comfort of ignorance regarding global climate change. This is juxtaposed with the uncomfortable truth of the data, represented through the use of 100% wool yarn which results in a prickly and itchy blanket. In this way the project offers both a metaphor and a litmus test for who we are in this period of climate change. Are you aware of what is going on around you? If so, are you willing to remain engaged with the issue, despite the discomfort of this reality?
From Design and Science Exhibition Cataloge, Leslie Atsmon
Willow Sharp
Our Protected Forest, paper, bark, glue, Diameter: 8.5 inches; Height: 4 inches, WEIGHT: < 1 pound, 2017
IMAGE COPYRIGHT: Nicole Torres & Karin von Ompteda
Of Canada’s total forest area, only about 24 million hectares (~7%) is protected. This refers to the creation of parks and other areas to legally protect forests from industrial activity and to help preserve healthy ecosystems. The data sculpture uses bark to represent Canada’s protected forest area, and paper “rings” to represent the remaining 93% of forest area. The juxtaposition of natural bark with printed material addresses the disconnect between the products we use and their natural origins.
From Design and Science Exhibition Cataloge, Leslie Atsmon
Chenhui Song
Projection, concrete, foam, Diameter: 5 inches; Height: 21 inches; Weight: ~1 pound, 2017
IMAGE COPYRIGHT: Chenhui Song
This height of this sculpture represents one projection for global sea level rise between the years 2000 and 2066; approximately two thirds of the century. The object’s organic shape takes inspiration from sea snails, making reference to ocean life at risk due to global climate change. The object was constructed with a specific type of concrete that is used to fix leaks within people’s homes. In this way, the project connects abstract data to everyday life.
From Design and Science Exhibition Cataloge, Leslie Atsmon
Justin Jehong Yoon
Sea Level Rise T-Shirt, cotton fabric, Length: 32 inches; Width: 31.5 inches, WEIGHT: 1 pound, 2017
IMAGE COPYRIGHT: Nicole Torres & Karin von Ompteda
This t-shirt translates global sea-level rise data into the design of an everyday object. Layers of fabric were hand dyed and sewn onto the bottom of the t-shirt, with the height of each representing the millimeter sea-level increase over a measured time period. The project is based on sea-height data from the years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2017. While the bottom four layers of fabric correspond to sea level rise over five-year time spans, the uppermost layer represents approximately two and a half years, utilizing the most up-to-date information at the time of project creation. Through the design of a t-shirt, sea-level rise data, which is global and abstract, has been connected directly to our everyday experience, and to our bodies.
From Design and Science Exhibition Cataloge, Leslie Atsmon