A University of Reading lecturer has been using a two-tonne block of ice to explain climate science at the Royal Society "See Further" Festival of Science and Arts at the Royal Festival Hall this week.
(PressZoom) - A University of Reading lecturer has been using a two-tonne block of ice to explain climate science at the Royal Society "See Further" Festival of Science and Arts at the Royal Festival Hall this week.
Dr Janet Barlow, from the Department of Meteorology, has helped to organise the Ice-Traffic exhibit, in which urban sounds with images of city traffic are projected onto the ice. The images and sounds are used to translate scientific data into a stunning display, as the ice undergoes its inevitable meltdown.
Janet said: "We wanted to find different ways of representing complex processes and data in a more accessible way. I have been amazed at the conversations that the ice provokes. Children in particular are asking really interesting questions about what's going on and react the most when the lights and sound change."
During the opening weekend, visitors were fascinated to watch the ice melting and speculated on how long it would take. Others were more struck by its representation of man's impact on natural processes.
Ice Traffic forms part of a larger project, called The Breathing City which is concerned with issues of communication and representation of scientific data through artistic practice. Janet has been working in collaboration with digital musician Holger Zschenderlein, and designers Chris Rose and Patrick Letschka from the University of Brighton
The Ice-Traffic exhibit has been generously sponsored by IBM, The Met Office, Halcrow, QED Productions and the Royal Society and is on until 4 July. Entrance is free. Get there quick before the ice disappears completely in the heatwave conditions!
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