Dynamic projected imagery highlighting the effects of climate change
The installation by Ben Sheppee highlights ways to reverse the effects of climate change, aiming to provide us all with positive and practical ways to reduce our impact on the world.
The work is a series of dynamic animations, projected onto historic buildings, which was first shown in King’s Lynn during autumn 2020 and relaunched in 2021 for COP26.
The impact of the international pandemic and subsequent lockdowns has shown us that change can be made and some positive effects have been experienced including people commuting less and becoming more aware of their environment… Can this be the beginning of an influential change? The artwork aims not to emphasise the problems of climate change, but highlight some of the solutions and provide empowerment through awareness.
The project draws on research from Drawdown, a comprehensive plan to reverse global warming, developed by an international coalition of leading researchers, scientists and policymakers. Their report ranks the top 100 ways to reverse climate change, with #1 being the most effective in sequestering carbon from the environment.
To create DRAWDOWN, Sheppee focused on the most relevant subjects for King’s Lynn, tailoring the solutions to the locality, as shown in the list below. Read our interview with Sheppee to find out more about what inspired this project.
- King’s Lynn Corn Exchange brought awareness of solutions related to food.
- Greyfriars Tower focused on solutions related to changes to our energy use.
- King’s Lynn Minster considered solutions around reducing emissions.
- The Custom House highlighted solutions for water usage and protection.
- St Nicholas’ Chapel related to solutions for afforestation, restoring our green environment.
DRAWDOWN is the first of four climate related artworks by Collusion that were delivered between October 2020 and May 2022 as part of the GAME ON series. GAME ON aimed to establish King’s Lynn as a national centre of excellence for cultural innovation in interactive, town-scale projection-based artworks, supported by a networked digital cluster of specialist creative businesses.
Find about more about the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk’s climate change work here including a recent carbon audit for the area, emissions reports and plans to reduce the Council’s climate impact.
DRAWDOWN was supported by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Arts Council England, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Discover King’s Lynn BID, Norfolk County Council and the Audrey Muriel Stratford Trust.
Further Resources
See useful resources for outdoor projection in our Padlet with inspiration, examples and types of hardware and software to use. Also checkout our Padlet on interactive artworks.
Artists
Ben Sheppee
Ben Sheppee (b.1978, Bristol, UK) has been part of the visuals and AR scene for over twenty years. His works lean towards minimalist abstraction, creating worlds where the elemental play of structure, light, and icon compete for the leading role, and have been exhibited at major arts venues including Tate Britain, the National Portrait Gallery and the San Francisco MOMA. In addition to working as a practicing artist, Sheppee’s career has seen him set up one of the first ever VJ labels, where he produced numerous albums of visual content by 70 artists; develop an online school for audiovisual art and performance, and provide work for clients including the British Museum, the BBC and INTEL. He has also been commissioned for work on National Television in the UK, LA and Japan, and his performances have opened the Hollywood Independent Film Festival. He is currently creative director at his founding company Observatory, where he continues to develop his profile as an artist and director. Having lived and worked in San Francisco, Tokyo and Paris, Sheppee is now based in South East London.
