Icebergs Of Climate Change Reflection
You've probably heard that most of an iceberg is beneath the water, and you can only see their tip, no doubt? Of re-usable construction materials, the Icebergs installation at the National Building Museum in Washington DC (USA) offers just that, but this time you can wade around their dizzy depths. With a seven metre high "water line" to allow panoramic views high above the ocean surface, the tallest iceberg reaches seventeen metres high and enters into the third story balcony of the Museum. All very cool.
Manufactured from scaffolding and polycarbonate panelling, Icebergs has been designed by James Corner Field Operations and the glacial landscape of giant shard-like forms is definitely worth a visit. With 30 octahedron forms in total inside the museum's Great Hall, some of the shards are even suspended from the ceiling whilst others jut up from the ground, imitating stalactites and stalagmites. Contained within an enclosure that features blue colours to help mimic an icy, underwater scene, "...such a world is both beautiful and ominous given our current epoch of climate change, ice-melt and rising seas." James Corner of James Corner Field Operations explains.
At the installation's floor are chunky, triangular-shaped bean bags for visitors to sit on, with the entire room designed as such to serve as a space for play and reflection. Corner describes the icy environment as being "...in stark contrast to the hot, humid world of the Washington DC summer outside."
On exhibition until 5 September 2016, various other programs and events are being held in conjunction with Icebergs, and so SATORI & SCOUT definitely recommend a visit should you be in the area. Learn more and purchase your tickets at NBM.org.
Photography credit : FieldOperations.net