Technology A — Pratt Grad ComD

Project Description

According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Arctic Sea ice has shown a clear and accelerating decline, especially during the summer and autumn seasons. The minimum and maximum sea ice extents typically occur in September and February each year. In this work, I visualize the changes in Arctic Sea ice over five-year intervals, inspired by the form of toast slices. Each slice represents five years of ice extent, showing both the maximum (February) and minimum (September) levels. The gradual thinning of the ice extent is a metaphor for consumption. Just as humans consume food, we also consume the planet’s stability. The toast is a fragile record of loss. When the final slice disappears, it raises a haunting question: When the last piece of toast is gone, will humanity starve or find another way to survive? I created a digital p5.js visualization that depicts the Arctic Sea ice extent as a series of generative line graphs. I then exported the sketch as an SVG file and edited it in Illustrator to laser cut the forms into physical slices. The artwork serves as both a data record and an emotional translation, transforming statistics into an evolving visual memory of a melting world.

Credits

Article: https://nsidc.org/learn/ask-scientist/how-does-antarctic-sea-ice-differ-arctic-sea-ice
Data Index: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/arctic-sea-ice?time=earliest..1983
Font: https://kampanjat.hs.fi/climatefont/
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