Snow globes offer a window into imaginary and speculative landscapes. They present landscapes within submerged and drifting scenes that are intended to be turned upside down and unsettled. This Weather Permitting project explores how the snow globe is an ideal device for projecting and examining the new natures that emerge through the imminent environmental disturbances and alternations of climate change and geo-engineering.
The 3D-printed snow globes feature scenes of geo-engineering technologies, which are presented through the snow globe as a type of “philosophical furniture.” These snow globes enable reflection on the controversies related to large-scale planetary modification in order to address climate change. They focus attention on the ways in which technological solutions for environmental issues often supplant or are offered in place of political and creative engagements.
An informative pamphlet presented with the snow globes details historical proposals of weather modification, including self-propelled icebergs and cloud seeding devices, which provide a reference point for the proposals under consideration today. Situated within environmental projects of domed living, including biospheres and self-contained living units, “Forecast Factory” presents the proposition: if your environment is an experiment, what kind of experiment do you want it to be?
The snow globes were originally exhibited as part of the “Bipolar” event series organized in collaboration with the Arts Catalyst and the British Library. The globes were exhibited at the Royal Society of Antiquaries in London during the book launch of the text, Bipolar, ed. Kathryn Yusoff (London: The Arts Catalyst, 2008), which examines the intersections of arts, sciences and climate change.