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Warmingland at International Weather and Climate FORUM 2-5 June 2018

5/24/2018

 
For the very first time, the International Weather and Climate Forum welcomes contemporary art with Warmingland, a group
exhibition that addresses the questions of climate change and sustainable development. Warmingland brings together a
group of international artists who are committed to this cause: Vaughn Bell (USA), Wen Fang (China), Jérémy Gobé (France),
Studio Orta (England, Argentina, France) and Douglas White (England).

In a playful nod to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Warmingland addresses the alarming increase in temperature in this
wonderful land that is planet Earth. The exhibition takes visitors through the looking glass into a world of polluted air and
bleaching coral, a world where islands are disappearing because of rising sea levels. And yet it is also a world whose citizens
marvel at the beauties of nature, rally round and take part in trying to preserve their common heritage.

Warmingland takes a sensitive and participative approach, one that doesn’t try to list the woes of our beleaguered planet, but
rather extends a poetic invitation to visitors, encouraging them to open their eyes to what is at stake and take action. The
artist and environmentalist Joseph Beuys maintained that “every man is an artist” and, as far as the climate is concerned,
transitioning towards a low-carbon economy is definitely in our hands.

Jean Jouzel, the president of the International Weather and Climate Forum, is convinced that, because the environmental
transition is also a cultural one, it is vital today to turn to art. As he says: “Artists definitely have a role to play in developing
awareness of global warning and its consequences”.

Visitors to Warmingland will discover some pioneering works as they embark on an amusing and sensory journey, one that is
both committed and deeply moving.

Entering the exhibition, they will be welcomed by English artist Douglas White’s immense Black Palm. Here the palm tree, which
is emblematic of tropical island paradises, becomes the symbol of a world that is reliant on carbon. This sculpture illustrates
resilience and the solution: a circular economy that recycles its waste transforming it into spectacular new raw materials.
The Antarctica World Passport programme by the world-famous artist duo Lucy + Jorge Orta gives visitors the opportunity to join a
community of some 25,000 citizens around the world who hold an Antarctic passport as a token of their commitment to preserve the
world we share.

American artist and environmentalist Vaughn Bell endeavours to capture the beauty of living nature, its smells and its poetry. Village
Green comprises four fragile and wonderful landscapes that visitors can discover in a multi-sensory experience by placing their heads
inside the terrarium-like structures.

Jérémy Gobé immerses visitors in the marine environment, which is also adversely affected by global warming. Coral / Artefact, a
scientific and artistic project that aims to save the world’s corals, is being presented to the public for the first time. Can artists and
scientists manage to save coral by working together? Let’s hope so!

Confronted with air pollution and global warming (which contributes to exacerbating the effects of pollution on our health), everyone
has a role to play with their art and creativity. It is this firm belief that drives the Maskbook project, a collective work of art launched
by Chinese artist Wen Fang and Art of change 21. The project allows thousands of participants from all over the world to express
their solutions. A Maskbook workshop will be organised during the Forum.

“Art is the best option for taking action, developing awareness and innovating in the field of sustainable development. It is a way of
forging perceptible connections with climatic phenomena that can be difficult to apprehend and which may sometimes seem elusive
and threatening” according to the two people who came up with the idea for the exhibition, Alice Audouin and Marguerite Courtel
from Alice Audouin Consulting, which specialises in the relationship between art and sustainable development.
Warmingland was made possible thanks to the support of Schneider Electric Foundation, LVMH, Mirova (Natixis Investment
Managers), GreenFlex and Enercoop.

About The International Weather and Climate Forum
The International Weather and Climate Forum (FIM) was created in 2004. It is a key event on the calendar both in terms of
education and as a means of rallying support. The forum is part an event for the general public, part international symposium
and part contemporary art exhibition, as well as being a media workshop for weathermen and women from numerous countries.
The FIM is presided over by the climatologist Jean Jouzel.

About Alice Audouin Consulting
Alice Audouin Consulting is a consulting firm specialising in art, sustainable development and responsible communication. The
two partners, Alice Audouin and Marguerite Courtel, strive day-by-day to ensure that innovation and creativity are at the heart of
companies’ corporate strategy and that artists play a major role in the environmental transition.

International WEATHER AND CLIMATE FORUM
Paris de l’Hotel de Ville, 75004 Paris
2nd-3rd June, 11am-6pm; 4th-5th June, 9am-6pm
Free admission
Exhibition tour everyday at 3pm
www.forummeteoetclimat.com
www.audouinconsulting.com

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