Liverpool John Moores University Graphic Design and Illustration students join us as artists-in-residence to explore the role that designers and illustrators and creative climate communication can play in responding to the environmental crisis. In the wake of COP27, as global leaders gather in Egypt for vital climate talks we face an urgent call to collectively reduce our carbon impact and consumption of fossil fuels. For years scientists have been warning against the global temperature rise exceeding 1.5 degrees, at current warming levels, without drastic intervention, we are likely to reach this within the next 11 years. For this project, we invite early career graphic designers and illustrators to explore themes of energy and innovation in response to climate change, looking at positive actions that can be made to reduce our energy consumption and resulting in a site-specific installation of artworks at Edge Hill Train Station.
Edge Hill Station is a site with a rich history of innovation and creativity. As the first stop on the 1830 Liverpool and Manchester Railway, where George Stephenson’s Rocket ushered in a new age of passenger rail travel. The site is at the heart of the rapid expansion of industry, through pioneering rail innovation which acted as a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution and consequently rooted our reliance on the consumption of fossil fuels. As we face the environmental impact of this expansion and overconsumption, we invite the 1.5 Degrees project team to explore and respond to the station’s history and look ahead to how innovation, creativity and creative climate communication might galvanise urgent action in the face of climate change.
The 1.5 Degrees project team are:
- Chris Jackson, Senior Lecturer, Graphic Design and Illustration, Liverpool John Moores University
- Ana Ortuno Floria
- Abbie Townend
- Harry Urand
- Ola Baranowska
- Puja Varia
- Owen Rutland
- Kira Whyte
- Aly Thorburn
Image credit: Chris Jackson
