The role of landscape installations in climate change communication

• Published in: Landscape and urban planning 2019-09, Vol.189, p.11-14
• Main Authors: Aragón, Carolina, Buxton, Jane, Hamin Infield, Elisabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Climate change communication; Landscape installations; Public art; Public engagement
• ISSN: 0169-2046; 1872-6062
• DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.03.014

•Public art in the landscape may overcome some of the known barriers of climate change communication.•Artistic visualizations in the landscape may encourage public engagement with climate change.•Social science methods may be valuable in assessing the effect of public art on public engagement. Engaging the public in the issue of climate change is critical in fostering the support required for climate change adaptation. Designers and artists can contribute to public engagement using the landscape as a setting and medium to visualize climate change futures. This research note presents the case example of High Tide, a temporary landscape installation in Boston, MA, designed to bring attention to projected flooding in the area due to sea level rise. Our study sought to pilot the use of social science methods to gain initial insight on whether a landscape installation, through its accessible and site-specific qualities, could engage local audiences in the subject of climate change. Our findings provide an initial proof-of-concept for the role of public art in contributing to public engagement by bringing attention to and visualizing local effects of climate change using the landscape as a publicly accessible setting. Future research using robust social science methods would further illuminate these issues.