The Fifth Season
An exhibition of works by Celyn Bricker and CELU studio exploring climate change, our changing relationship to the seasons and AI technology.
By United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
CELU Studio & CTeam
The Fifth Season Exhibition (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
The Fifth Season Exhibition
The idea of the ‘fifth’ season suggests the new seasons that we may come to know as our climate changes, while also referencing developments in technology.
In this exhibit the artist is exploring ways art can be used not only to communicate environmental issues, but also the potential of art to solve environmental problems.
YH 银瑚 (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
Coral Bleaching
YH 银瑚 (meaning ‘silver coral’) is an AI generated artwork that explores the issue of coral bleaching.
By analysing the form and colours of coral reefs, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) creates a continually shifting, artificially imagined underwater landscape which begins to distort as humans approach.
If people get too close, the ‘coral’ begins to lose colour and bleach out . If the audience finds the right balance with the piece, the coral is able to recover - much as real coral is able to.
YH 银瑚 (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
As people approach the screen, the corals begin to bleach out - but can recover.
The Fifth Season (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
The Fifth Season
The “Fifth Season” is a conceptual artwork using AI generated images of the seasons with a new musical ‘fifth season’ based on the classic Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
The Fifth Season (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
The Fifth Season
An exploration of the idea the 'fifth season' by an AI generated experiment.
Climate change may not only alter our relationship to the environment, but to culture as well. We might try to imagine how Vivaldi would compose the Four Seasons now. But equally, how might climate change affect our relationship to Vivaldi, or other culture of the past?
If the seasons Vivaldi once described in music become unrecognisable, how might we understand his music in the future? The cultural impacts of climate change are perhaps the hardest to predict, but may be no less profound.
Latent Seasons (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
Latent Seasons
Latent Seasons is a series of paintings based on artificially generated images of nature.
Here, each painting is based on an AI generated image of the seasons, along with a ‘fifth’ season imagined by a machine. The series is painted with a combination of different compounds that are able to remove pollution from the air.
As such, each painting acts in the same way as a real plant or tree, and is able to clean the surrounding environment.
After The Rain (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
After the Rain
After the Rain is an interactive installation that is only visible if it is being directly observed.
As you look at the screen, the image of an AI generated rainforest emerges. This image is constantly evolving, but can only be fully seen if there is someone there to observe it. The work is only completed by the participation of the audience, creating a connection with nature.
Lighthouse (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
Lighthouse
Art can be used to raise awareness of environmental issues, but can it also be used to solve them? CELU studio is exploring this question in Lighthouse, an artwork designed to prevent bird collisions with buildings.
It is estimated that up to a billion birds die in collisions with glass each year in the US, many during the periods of migration (in the spring and autumn months). Unlike humans, many birds are able to see UV light, meaning that glass coated with the right combination of UV reflective materials can prevent bird collisions with glass. These UV reflective materials could simultaneously reduce the amount of heat entering the building, reducing the need for air conditioning in the summer.
Lighthouse (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
Lighthouse Artwork Video
Lighthouse is a prototype for bird safe glass that is transparent to human eyes, but visible to birds.
Lighthouse rendering (2021) by Celyn BrickerUnited Nations Climate Change Conference COP26
Lighthouse Rendering
During the day, the UV reflective material would be largely invisible to human users of the building, but could be seen by birds.
At night, the UV pattern could be temporarily revealed by illuminating the building with the correct lighting. Buildings and cityscapes could be transformed by the patterns and colours previously invisible during the day.
To learn more about the artist and CELU Studio, visit celynbricker.com or celustudio.com.
For the climate action work that CTeam is doing in China, visit www.cteam.org. The Fifth Season exhibition was supported by the British Council in China and first shown at Carte Blanche in Beijing, see http://reconnect.britishcouncil.cn/en/ for more.
Celyn Bricker, UCCA, Justin Scholar, CTeam
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