The newest exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum (rom), Carbon 14: Climate is Culture aims to provide a new platform for the discussion and thoughts on climate change. Curated by David Buckland and Claire Sykes, the exhibit is a result of a partnership between the rom Contemporary Culture collections team and the Cape Farewell Foundation, which was founded by Buckland.
Cape Farewell’s objective is global teamwork — bringing together artists and scientists in order to gain insight into the effects of climate change. The foundation’s goal is unique: seeking to find artistic expressions for scientific phenomena, and educating in a way that is emotionally engaging.
The exhibit encourages visitors to decide for themselves what its environmental, social, and cultural implications are. This is an all-encompassing look at climate change, from the practical and factual to the theoretical and ethical. Carbon 14 functions as an art installation, which, as Buckland describes, can inform through inspiration and emotional engagement. It is all about “reframing the message” of climate change.
Carbon 14 consists of 13 separate installments and is the result of two years of work, involving the cooperation of professionals ranging from filmmakers to economists. A variety of global perspectives were compiled to create the exhibit, but the voices of Inuit people and communities are especially important in the Canadian perspective on climate change, and in general because they are direct witnesses to the effects of global warming. As Buckland says, this is very much a “First Nations dialogue.”
A variety of media materials and tools are used within the exhibit, ranging from a soapstone and walrus bone sculpture to videos, photographs, mannequins, an iPad presentation, harvested tweets, and more. Carbon 14 intertwines themes of modern technology, religion, economy, global relations, community and tradition.
A unique feature of the gallery is the commentary that goes on beside each piece. As usual in galleries and museums, each installation is paired with a descriptive plaque, but what is different about those of Carbon 14 is that they also feature a blurb about the piece from another artist involved in the project. Even the most basic and neutral of fixtures is used to promote discussion and highlight the importance of different opinions.
As Sykes says, the ultimate measure of people’s reactions to the exhibit is “goosebumps.” While Carbon 14’s overall investigation is of a physical and scientific phenomenon, its results are meant to capture thoughts and feelings, presenting a multifaceted view of climate change and limitless openings for thought and discussion. The exhibit will be at the rom until February 2, 2014, and is an absolute must-see for science and art enthusiasts alike.
