Post by Thijs Biersteker
Ecological artist, Founder Woven studio, 3x Ted speaker.
…Then people started to cry. We did something unique for the year of the Glacier. Together with top glaciologists Dr. Heïdi Sevestre and Matthias Huss, we combined 130,000 data points from the Rhône Glacier—spanning from the year 1800 to 2100—and transformed them into a generative concert. Each future scenario for the glacier (fossil-fueled collapse, business as usual, or a sustainable pathway) was brought to life through a piece of Bach, played live by the world-renowned violinist SongHa. Every note shifted the meltwater. Every change in tempo moved a droplet. Showing that everyone can influence a part, and together, the pathway. When SongHa reached the fossil-fuel scenario, the Glacier on the screen disappeared completely. The lights went out. Ninety seconds of silence. And then… tears. Not because the audience didn’t understand the science— But because they felt it. We built a real-time artwork that doesn’t just visualise climate data—it makes you part of it. This is why I do what I do, this is why the team is doing what they do. This is what art and science combined can do. This premiered during the Villars Institute Summit, among policymakers, scientists, and leaders of change. And it proved what is needed right now in science communication: 💧People can move glaciers. 🎻Art can move people. 🧠❤️Facts and feelings together bring action. If you were there, share If you care. Share. If you want to bring this to your stage, museum, or city—let’s talk. Thank a thousand for the whole team : The Villars Institute Woven Foundation WOVEN STUDIO Denisa Půbalová Sophie de Krom Lee Howell Roman Guggisberg Emma Benameur, MBA Joelle Chevalley (Gianini) Suzan Craig Marco Dunand Andrea Bandelli Dr. Heïdi Sevestre ETH Zürich Julia Marton-Lefèvre Keith Tuffley Professor David Gann CBE, Aurelia Figueroa ,@Subra Suresh, Rahsaan Bleijs. and Evelyne Adeyinka #MemoriesOfTheMelted #GlacierArt #ClimateAction #WovenFoundation #ThijsBiersteker #SongHaChoi #HeidiSevestre #MatthiasHuss #ArtAndScience #ScienceCommunication #DataDrivenArt #VillarsInstitute CREDITS Commissioned by Villars Institute Artist Thijs Biersteker Violinist SongHa Choi Glacier Scientists Heïdi Sevestre, Matthias Huss Generative modeling Denisa Půbalová Sustainable Production Woven Studio Studio Director Sophie de Krom Technical lead Tomáš Potůček Audio Engineer Rahsaan Bleijs Video editor Evelyne Adeyinka
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