University of Nottingham: Art installation project with National Gallery to highlight climate change
A new project partnering with the National Gallery will bring an exciting interactive art installation highlighting climate change issues to Lakeside Arts at the University of Nottingham.
Lakeside Arts, Makers of Imaginary Worlds, writer Sam Redway and the Mixed Reality Lab and the department of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Nottingham, are collaborating on the HOME-Zero project which is funded by Nesta. This creative research and development project aims to help ignite a public conversation about the relationship between household emissions and climate change.
The project is part of a new innovation programme, National Gallery X (NGX) – a partnership between the National Gallery and King’s College London. It has been launched in to create the sorts of new museum experiences technology could make possible in ten years’ time. The challenge for NGX is to create these experiences today.
The Nottingham team will create an interactive installation that aims to address the value-action gap in behaviour around climate change and encourage families to make sustainable choices in their homes.
The new installation is aimed at children and families, who will be integral to the creation of the finished work. The team will work together with families to explore how emerging technologies can be used to create a real-time unique narrative experience that can help encourage sustainable practices using specially selected images from the National Gallery. It will be delivered inside a free-standing installation inspired by the National Gallery’s Hexagonal Room.
Makers of Imaginary Worlds create immersive, mixed reality installations. Their work merges emerging sensing technologies with traditional crafts with an aim to create a sense of curiosity and imaginative play in young audiences. Director of Makers of Imaginary World Dr Roma Patel said: ‘We are delighted to have been awarded this national commission and look forward to working collaboratively with colleagues at the National Gallery, NESTA, Lakeside and the University of Nottingham where children and families will take centre stage in reimagining a climate-safe future.’
Lakeside is committed to identifying inspirational creative experiences for children and families. Working with Makers of Imaginary Worlds we know that all visitors, especially those who join the team to help co-design it, will have a truly memorable experience.
Director of Lakeside Arts, Shona Powell
Nesta’s Sustainable Future Mission aims to significantly reduce household carbon emissions by 2030. To help make this happen, we need art and creativity to inspire new behaviours and help catalyse change. Nesta’s own research shows that, although 85% agree climate change is one of the most important issues to address, just 35% have adopted or are planning to adopt energy efficiency measures in their own homes.