Weird Eco Art find of the day: Alaska made Frozen Gore ice sculpture breathing cold air
I'll begin by saying I love Alaska and Alaskan's. They still continue to live in the frontier mindset, and are some of the toughest self reliant people I have ever met. When I first started working their as a naturalist I assumed something that any young naive do-gooder might consider, that people who live so closely with the land would also feel inclined to protect it. I wish I could tell you exactly what this piece is designed to communicate aside from getting attention.
Is anyone else scratching their head on this one? I'm stumped. I guess the thinking is that because it is still freezing in Fairbanks the rest of the world isn't changing? Or are they wishing that Gore had urged people to take more action than just changing their lightbulbs?
I'll give them points for the following though (even if it is a rip off of the contest to guess when the ice on the Tanana River breaks up).
Meanwhile, Vanguard's Adam Yamaguchi travels to Alaska to witness some of the dramatic effects of climate change:
The carving features an audio dub of Mr. Gore's Dec. 2009 Copenhagen speech suggesting the entire Polar Ice cap will likely disappear in the next 5 to 7 years, and urging us to upgrade our light bulbs.
As the audio is played, hot air will be emitted from the mouth of the statue, signifying the dangers to the environment of all types of man-made emissions. The source of the hot air will be the Ford F-350 flatbed truck on which the sculpture sits, with a 2” hose from the tailpipe of the vehicle, through a hole bored in the back of the head of the carving, and pumped out through the mouth of the statue. Local businessmen Craig Compeau and Rudy Gavora commissioned the frozen artwork, by world class sculptor Steve Dean.
“We invited Mr. Gore to Fairbanks last January (one of the coldest in decades) to debate his planet-melting theories."
Is anyone else scratching their head on this one? I'm stumped. I guess the thinking is that because it is still freezing in Fairbanks the rest of the world isn't changing? Or are they wishing that Gore had urged people to take more action than just changing their lightbulbs?
I'll give them points for the following though (even if it is a rip off of the contest to guess when the ice on the Tanana River breaks up).
In conjunction with the release of the new statue, Compeau has incorporated a “Local Warming” contest that will raise money to provide warm winter clothing for homeless Fairbanks residents. The contest asks participants to estimate how many hours the Ford F-350 would have to run (at idle) to equal the carbon output of a round-trip visit from Tennessee to Copenhagen aboard a Lear jet. The winner will receive a warm Ski-doo winter jacket, long underwear, thermal socks, and an Al Gore Bobblehead doll.
Meanwhile, Vanguard's Adam Yamaguchi travels to Alaska to witness some of the dramatic effects of climate change:
Have you spotted an eco art object you think should be highlighted? Email me at llamb@current.com
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