A network of weather stations created by the artist gathers climate change data in 28 countries

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last month to remove power from the Environmental Protection Agency is one that could, unfortunately, affect other parts of the world than the U.S., especially now that carbon emissions are secondary. the world’s largest polluter will be more difficult to regulate. But it can be difficult to understand the extent of the problem of climate change, especially for those who have not witnessed it around them. Quoting scientific data is an eye -opening method; both powerful (and useful) are the stories of individuals around the world who have been personally affected. With this second approach in mind, the World Weather Network launched last month as an alliance of artists and writers creating “weather stations” (clearly defined) in 28 different countries – many of which are already seeing sea level rise, change of seasons and more severe natural disasters due to man -made climate change.

In Bangladesh, before the Dhaka Art Summit in February 2023, the artist Kamruzzaman Shadhin worked with a group of children to help them create a puppet video show about the rainy season. The script, written by the show’s young performers, tells the story of a farmer who does everything he can to bring rain to grow his crops, like conducting a frog wedding (a real local differential used during severe drought). But the rain was heavier than expected, forcing the ants to climb the trees, and even the rice plant puppet says it looks like it’s drowning. Bonna, a figure symbolizing the flood – and a popular Bengali name that literally means “flood” – does not show remorse for all the excess water she brought, but even drowning the rice plant, it says , “We need you more than we know. Bonna, come again. “

“Children are also making longer films,” said Diana Campbell, chief curator of the Dhaka Art Summit. “Their families are climate migrants to the north.” In the southern part of Bangladesh, almost continuous flooding washes away crops and carries saltwater inland, destroying crops and livelihoods. But extreme weather is also hitting other parts of the country, as evidenced by the video project and devastating floods. last month in the northeast.

“Bangladesh is ground zero for climate change,” Campbell said, adding that Bangladeshi “feel its effects every day”. He sees the children’s project (and the upcoming Dhaka Art Summit in general, which shares a Bonna/flood theme and is described by Campbell as a “big weather station”) as a means of humanizing climate change. This is not an abstract concept ”. He said flooding had long been a part of life there – “Traditional Bangladeshi architecture was built for floods,” with buildings attached to stilts or even floated as the water rose – but the the rain became more intense. “Bangladesh used to have six seasons,” he said. “Now there are maybe four.”

On the other side of the world, on Fogo Island outside Newfoundland, Canada, a more common weather station is being formed. In concert with Fogo Island Artsartist Liam Gillick designed a two-thirds scale model of a traditional fishing hut that local scientists, artists and others will be encouraged to use for their research projects during the next few years . A Variability Quantifier Gillick’s series of climate -related projects continues on an island with a deep fishing culture in a part of the world often called “iceberg alley”, Near where the Titanic sank in 1912.

“I’m interested in the island’s native architecture, the unique communities and their diverse histories,” Gillick said. “They don’t have an official weather station on the island, but the people there are fishermen with intuitive knowledge. They’re constantly monitoring what’s going on.” He remembers seeing a local resident’s journal where it describes his life and relationships (as can happen in any journal) but always provides space for a personalized weather report.Similar to Bangladesh, the weather on Fogo Island is very important to the local culture and daily life of the people.

For his hut, Gillick hired fishermen on Fogo Island to build it using local wood sources – “between lobstering”. He sees it as “a rig to stick things together and a site for experimentation”, a weather station that is both scientifically useful and represents the “aesthetic of weather measurement.” He hopes it will be a gathering place for the community. (Fogo Island Arts manages the planning of official events and visits, but Gillick also encourages informal visits.) “Many of the images around climate change are cliché,” Gillick said, adding that he was particularly interested in the history of the mathematics behind climate research, how and why things measure what they are, and how different cultural traditions of weather monitoring can add in our understanding of it. “My project is a realistic, naturalist perspective, something concrete that can be measured, more of a feeling.”

Projects in Bangladesh and Fogo Island are just two of dozens taking place over the next year as part of the World Weather Network. Others include Hiroshi Sugimoto’s observations of the environment atop his Enoura Observatory in Odawara, Japan; Joana Escoval’s exploration of lichens as “weather forecasters” in Grasse, France; Xiaoxiao Zhao’s monitoring of cloud formations in Qinhuangdao, China; Yinka Shonibare’s “conceptual weather station” in Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria; at Sophia Point Rainforest Research CenterPairs anecdotal weather descriptions with scientifically collected meteorological data along the Essequibo River in Guyana.

While these projects are thought for their own local communities, the World Weather Network website will be updated throughout the year with photos and videos of events, weather data gathered and general updates on each isa. This bird’s-eye view of all the different projects is something Artangel associate director James Lingwood calls “taking different weather worlds and bringing them together”. (Although Lingwood emphasizes that the World Weather Network has a “decentralized rhizomatic structure”, both Campbell and Gillick cite Artangel as the motivating force behind it.In part, Artangel organized the two projects in London – writer Jessica J. Lee’s “dictionary” of weather -related words in different languages ​​and Abi PalmerSeasonal reports in collaboration with his two cats.)

“Every organization is responsible for their project, events and what’s going on in the network. It’s a great journey of discovery for all of us,” said Lingwood, who called the year -long effort an “invitation to look and learn, then hopefully act ”.