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Immersive exhibition merges art with science at COP26

Adele Redmond
1 min read

An immersive art installation opening this weekend will mark the UN's Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow.

Polar Zero, a collaboration between the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), British Antarctic Survey, engineering consultants Arup and the Royal College of Art, includes a glass sculpture encasing Antarctic Air from 1765 and an Antarctic ice core drilled out of a glacier.

The centrepieces are significant because they provide scientific evidence of the earth's temperature before the industrial revolution – a turning point in global warming – and the state of the atmosphere now.

AHRC Executive Chair Professor Christopher Smith said Polar Zero "epitomises the power of the arts and arts s research to tackle pressing contemporary issues such as climate change".

“It translates crucial but complex scientific research in a way that will resonate deeply and emotionally with diverse audiences to inspire lasting change."

Polar Zero opens at Glasgow Science Centre on October 2.