Climate Change and Installation, Lines (57° 59′ N, 7° 16’W)

Due to climate change, the melting speed of polar ice is gradually accelerating. Already the phenomenon can be observed in northern England or in Venezia, Italy. This phenomenon can also be seen in works that have been developed into installation. Climate Change gets strikingly visualized by a Scottish art installation, Pekka Niittyvirta & Timo Aho.

Created by Finnish artists Pekka Niittyvirta and Timo Aho for Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre, Lines (57° 59 ́N, 7° 16 ́W) offers a stark reminder of the future humanity faces if climate change goes on as projected. "At high tide, three synchronized lines of light activate in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland," writes Designboom's Zach Andrews, and in the dark, "wrap around two structures and along the base of a mountain landscape.

Lines (57° 59′ N, 7° 16’W) from Pekka Niittyvirta on Vimeo.

Artist Note:

By use of sensors, the installation interacts with the rising tidal changes; activating on high tide. The work provides a visual reference of future sea level rise.

The installation explores the catastrophic impact of our relationship with nature and its long term effects. The work provokes a dialogue on how the rising sea levels will affect coastal areas, its inhabitants and land usage in the future.

This is specifically relevant in the low lying island archipelago of Uist in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland, and in particular to Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre in Lochmaddy where the installation is situated. The centre cannot develop on its existing site due to predicted storm surge sea levels.

All images courtesy of Timo Aho and Pekka Niittyvirta