Molten

1’05” video

Most people are fascinated by snow. Maybe because snowflakes seem to be perfectly symmetrical and at the same time unique or because snow-covered landscapes are simple and pure. Snow is not only pretty, but also important for many processes on earth. For example, it builds up the glaciers that provide melt-water for whole regions in the summertime. But not many people realize how threatened snow is at the moment.

Snow is in danger. Because of global warming.

My work conveys a sense of fascination and marvel creating an abundance of digital snowflakes in a simulation. Then, the simulation becomes warmer and so, just like in nature, the snowflakes change in shape and amount, to the point when it becomes too warm and they melt away, until there is not a single one left. The viewer has seen a speculative dystopia, in which climate change has further led to an absence of snow and so of natural snowflakes. At the same time, it teaches about the possible shapes in which snowflakes can form and the necessary temperature they need to grow.

At the end of the simulation, the viewer should feel dismay and loss. Because given today’s climatic changes in Europe, particularly warming, this future might not be too distant.