‘Below2°’: An artwork that is melting | Art-and-culture News
As temperatures soar across North India and the India Meteorological Department warns of an intense heatwave ahead, art Aakash Ranison’s artwork ‘Below2°’ — installed at the eco-resort Karma Lakelands in Gurugram — warns of the impending climatic disasters that await.
A five-foot globe constructed from 1,000 repurposed golf balls, hand-painted schoolchildren to symbolise the generation inheriting the planet, the globe is created with a special wax adhesive mixed with natural chemicals that is engineered to melt at 53°C, serving as a metaphor for the consequences of surpassing critical climate thresholds. “With global temperatures already exceeding 1.5°C of warming, the artwork underscores the devastating implications of breaching the 2°C limit set the Paris Agreement,” notes a release.
A five-foot globe constructed from 1,000 repurposed golf balls is hand-painted schoolchildren to symbolise the generation inheriting the planet (Source: PR Handout)
Ranison states, “Art moves people in ways data and reports cannot, as it speaks to human emotions. Below2° is a visual, emotional and scientific representation of our planet’s crisis and the urgent need for action.” Founder of Greener Earth Foundation and author of I’m A Climate Optim, he adds, “For seven years, I have created climate art installations across India to spark dialogue, and this project continues that journey.”
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Surrounding the globe are 14 endangered species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red L, including the Siberian Crane, African Forest Elephant and Hawksbill Turtle.
Surrounding the globe are 14 endangered species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red L, including the African Forest Elephant (Source: PR Handout)
The artwork also has climate stripes, inspired climatolog Ed Hawkins’ iconic climate stripes that chronicle Earth’s temperature changes over five decades, depicting the rapid escalation of global warming — with the colours shifting from blue to deep red. Meanwhile, as the wax drips, the urgency of the devastating situation will sink in.
