Record of Heedless History (Earth’s summer temperature variation, 1880 - 2023) (left )
A Space of Pivotal Possibility (Earth’s summer temperature variation, 2024 - 2167). (right )
2024
Visitors find themselves at a crossroads, a present moment where the past and present intersect:
A Record of Heedless History (Earth’s summer temperature variation, 1880 - 2023) to the left shows the planetary temperatures over 143 years — each slice a year, the redder colors denoting hotter average temperatures. The human-made trend is clear.
On the right, A Space of Pivotal Possibility (Earth’s summer temperature variation, 2024 - 2167) shows the next 143 years, grayed because we have yet to make the decisions that will determine the trajectory of temperatures that will follow future generations. All life faces an uncertain future, but only humans have the power to influence that uncertainity's arch.
For more on the graphic design rationale, see this commentary.
Created for the exhibition As the Lake Fades at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
Photograph courtesy of Tiana Birrell