Partly Sunny: Designs to Change the Forecast is an exhibition showcasing innovative designs from around the world that focus on solutions to shifting climate conditions. An initiative of students and faculty from Rhode Island School of Design, the exhibition was created to contribute to national conversations about climate change and to illustrate how individual choices and public policies can change the forecast. The exhibition is on display now through August 28th in Denver, CO during the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
“If we are to avert the most significant effects of climate change we can’t just talk about the weather, we have to do something.” That’s the core message of Partly Sunny, which aims to catalyze personal action and features a salon space with resources and suggestions for how visitors can make a difference. Roughly three dozen real-world solutions are on display along with pledge cards for six key areas of intervention—energy, water, mobility, building, food, and land— giving viewers the opportunity to share their plans to build a stronger future. Visitors are then photographed with their pledges and the images archived in the Partly Sunny Flickr pool.
The exhibition space itself was designed to use materials in an environmentally responsible way. Banners for the exhibition were printed on BIOflex™, a biodegradable alternative to standard PVC vinyl sheet. Additionally the exhibition space, which was formerly used by night club, was modified with temporary walls built using standard construction 2 x 4’s faced with white Tyvek™. The walls will be disassembled after the show and the uncut wood donated to Habitat for Humanity. The Tyvek™ will be reclaimed and either reused to mount the exhibition when it travels, or recycled.
Partly Sunny premiered at the Denver Pavilions on August 24th, 2008 as part of Dialog:City, a city-wide cultural event sponsored by the City of Denver Office of Cultural Affairs. Dialog:City was created to catalyze civic discourse by inviting internationally known artists to create participatory and interactive artworks throughout Denver on the occasion of the Democratic National Convention.
The Partly Sunny exhibition and all of the Diaolg:City public art projects are free and open to the public.
+ Partly Sunny: Designs to Change the Forecast
Full disclosure: Gretchen Hooker is a recent RISD alumna and Editorial Coordinator for Partly Sunny.
Limited Edition posters available at Robischon Gallery in Denver
