''SevenMeters '' is a series of art installations made by
Jens Galschiøt
Jens Galschiøt (born 4 June 1954) is a Danish sculpture, sculptor best known for the ''Pillar of Shame''. Galschiøt moved to Odense in 1973, and in 1985 he opened a combined foundry, studio, Gallery Galschiøt and sculpture park. In 1990, Gals ...
which was displayed on the occasion of the
COP15
The 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was planned to be held in April 2022 in Kunming, China, but was postponed, for a fourth time, to the third quarter of 2022 a ...
Summit, 7 December 2009 in Copenhagen.
About SevenMeters.net
Nine months before the
COP15
The 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was planned to be held in April 2022 in Kunming, China, but was postponed, for a fourth time, to the third quarter of 2022 a ...
was held, Jens Galschiøt, and his art workshop AIDOH (Art In Defense Of Humanism), started to debate on how to contribute to the environmental debates in Copenhagen. Shortly after, SevenMeter.net was founded.
The name SevenMeters derived from the realization that the water level will rise 7 meters if the
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
will melt all the ice in
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
. In order to show what impact the possible
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
can have to the world, the SevenMeters group established 24 kilometers of red blinking LED-lights at 7 meters height during the UN's climate summit in December 2009 in Copenhagen. The blinking LEDs were placed above the
Bella Center
Bella Center (abbreviated BC) is Scandinavia's second largest exhibition and conference center (after Messecenter Herning), and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in Ørestad between the city centre and Copenhagen Airport, it offers an in ...
where the climate debates were held, and they created a strong symbol of the urgency to act before the climate gets out of hand.
Art installations
The SevenMeters movement made a series of art installations, which was displayed all over Copenhagen during the COP15 in 2009.
The 7 meters line
SevenMeters covered 24 kilometers with red blinking LED-lights attached in 7 meters height during UN's climate summit.
The lights were hung up around the lakes in central Copenhagen and all around the Bella Center where the COP15 was held.
The Pulse of the Earth
At the Bella Center in the metro entrance, a light-installation was illuminating the concrete construction of the metro in a slowly pulsating red light. The light was projected onto the pillars. The pulsation of the light follows the geological ‘pulse’ of the earth itself.
[http://sevenmeters.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=167%3Athe-pulse-of-the-earth-at-the-bella-center-metro-station&catid=35%3Apictures&Itemid=77%E2%8C%A9%3Den&lang=en the official SevenMeters webpage]
Refugees in Water
At the metro next to the Bella Center a group of sculptures of starving Africans titled
The Hunger March is placed in the water ditches under the metro. They are illuminated with the pulsating red light.
The Messenger
At the metro, where the COP15 was held, a 4 meters high bronze sculpture called "A messenger", depicting a mantle clad man with mythical radiation. Behind the man, there was a display, counting up the number of refugees that the climate changes create.
Freedom to Pollute
On the
Amager Fælled
Amager Common (Danish: ''Amager Fælled'') is a 223 hectare nature reserve on Amager in Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the ...
(a common land), a 6 meters high replica of the Statue of Liberty emitting smoke from the torch has been placed. It was placed on the top of a hill at the center of the area. The sculpture is called "Freedom to Pollute" and symbolizes the western world's over consumption and our reluctance to change this.
Wandering Refugees
On the area, ‘Amager Fælled’ in front of the COP15 venue ''SevenMeters'' placed 10 meters high sculptures with copper faces and long colorful African women's costumes. The sculptures, illuminated by strong white light, symbolized the 200 million climate refugees that are expected to come within the next 40 years.
Balancing Acts
In front of the Parliament 10 statues balancing on 7-15 meter poles have been placed. They were all made in connection with the UN's Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014) in cooperation with Eco-net.dk.
Survival of the Fattest
Next to
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a h ...
at Langelinie, the sculpture
Survival of the Fattest
''Survival of the Fattest'' is a compilation album released by the Fat Wreck Chords record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a re ...
, a symbol of the rich world's (i.e. the fat woman, ‘Justitia’) self-complacent ‘righteousness’. With a pair of scales in her hand, she sits on the back of starved African man (i.e. the third world), while pretending to do what is best for him.
See also
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Jens Galschiøt
Jens Galschiøt (born 4 June 1954) is a Danish sculpture, sculptor best known for the ''Pillar of Shame''. Galschiøt moved to Odense in 1973, and in 1985 he opened a combined foundry, studio, Gallery Galschiøt and sculpture park. In 1990, Gals ...
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Survival of the Fattest (sculpture)
''Survival of the Fattest'' is a sculpture of a small, starved boy carrying a fat woman. The sculpture was made by Jens Galschiøt and Lars Calmar in 2002, as a symbol of the imbalanced distribution of the world’s resources. In 2006 it was acquir ...
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The Color Orange
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Pillar of Shame
''Pillar of Shame'' is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt memorialising the loss of life during specific events or caused by specific circumstances in history. Each sculpture is an tall statue of bronze, copper or concrete. ...
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Fundamentalism (sculpture)
''Fundamentalism'' is a monumental bronze sculpture by Jens Galschiot consisting of the letters in the word 'FUNDAMENTALISM'. The sculpture was finished in 2015 and is a part of the dialogue project The children of Abraham, also by Galschiot.
...
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Global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
References
{{Reflist
Installation art works