Art and science come together in one of the Art Museum of West Virginia University’s latest exhibitions. “Mapping Climate Change” features two unique knitting projects representing the impact of climate change across the globe.
“The Knitting Map” tracks a year of weather and activity in Cork City, Ireland. Jools Gilson and Richard Povall spearheaded the project, where knitters used data from a weather station and surveillance technologies to guide their work. What began as a small church group quickly grew to feature more than 2,500 knitters from the community working every day until the project’s 2005 completion.
The tapestry serves as a historical document, with the colors representing Cork’s temperatures throughout the year, and the stitch complexities showing how busy the city was on a given day. The project currently occupies about 2,000 square feet in the Art Museum of WVU’s Bright Gallery.
“When visitors are confronted with the monumental scale of the piece and the shear complexity of the handwork that went into the art, it creates a sense of awe in the viewer,” said Robert Bridges, curator for the Art Museum of WVU.
The exhibition’s second piece combines temperature with tapestry. “The Tempestry Project,” is an ongoing knitting tapestry that reflects temperature changes across the globe. Each row represents a day of temperatures in a specific location, using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).
Headed by Justin Connelly, Marissa Connelly and Emily McNeil, the project utilizes 32 colors to represent temperatures from under minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit to 121 degrees Fahrenheit in 5-degree increments.
Throughout the fall semester, the Art Museum of WVU will host knitting circles to make potential additions to “The Tempestry Project” using temperatures in West Virginia. Jools Gilson will be in residence at the art museum October 14 through October 18. The museum will host a public lecture on October 15 at 5pm in Bloch Hall at the Canady Creative Art Center.
Both “The Knitting Map” and “The Tempestry Project” make complex data digestible to viewers. Bridges said the goal of “Mapping Climate Change” is to make crucial information on climate change both beautiful and accessible.
“Art has the capability of representing both complex issues and universal themes,” he said. “The issues of climate change exist worldwide, and as we view this piece here in West Virginia and note the unbelievable amount of labor that went into its creation we realize we can tackle complex problems and handle difficult issues.”
For more information on the Art Museum of WVU’s current and upcoming exhibitions, visit artmuseum.wvu.edu.