James Balog [Clip of calving Ilulissat Glacier in Western Greenland in 2008 from Chasing Ice], 2012 Video, 4:41, Courtesy Earth Vision Institute.
Climate change is an elusive visual subject, yet the facts are stark: 2016 was the warmest year in recorded history. The multiple threats are overwhelming as the scientific information unfolds. Violent extreme weather patterns are increasing, king tides regularly flood coastal cities, larger wild res and droughts are reshaping communities, increasing numbers of species face extinction, and the list continues. Scientists are warning that only a limited time remains in which we can contain irrevocable melting of the polar ice sheets before it reaches a point of devastating consequences.
Despite efforts to discredit the science, there is an increasing global awareness of the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions and search for renewable energy sources, and a grassroots movement has stepped in to mobilize and engage. These new narratives present climate change not as a geographically or psychologically distant event, but as a local story that is affecting people’s lives now. Presented here is a range of the interactive visual climate models, documentaries and news stories, artists’ projects and personal responses that are circulating online and catching attention for their message and commitment.
Organized by Cynthia Young
Perpetual Revolution: The Image and Social Change
January 27 to May 7, 2017
International Center of Photography
250 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
USA
