2024, Steel, Glass, led strips, arduino, solar power kit, 6'x7'x10'

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This project is part of an exhibit currated by Stephanie Marlin-Curiel and Dr. Linda Booth Sweeney . Stephanie is Visual Arts Manager at The Umbrella Arts Center in  Concord, MA.  Dr. Linda Booth Sweeney is a systems educator, author and advocate for healthier human systems. 

Visual artist Victor Pacheco with 

Environmental Scientist Paul Kirshen

Victor Pacheco and Paul Kirshen focused on Kirshen’s climate adaptation research and collaborated on a project to bring awareness to changes in temperature due to human impact. Temperature Check! is a sculptural instrument that measures the real time temperature in its location and alerts us through a light display if the temperature is above the average, average or below the average temperature.  

Collaborators

Computer Science professor Kevin Walsh, created the code and circuit for the project. We used several other electronic componants including a temperature sensor, Arduino, solar power kit and LED light strips. 

University of Massachusetts Boston, graduate student Vishal Verma did the data analysis of the temperature data.

Ideas and Purpose

The idea with this project is to bring awareness and inform the viewer what the current outdoor temperature is compared to the temperature in the past. Is our current temperature higher than in the past? What happens if the temperature keeps rising? Will eco systems change? How does this affect us(humans)? Will rising temperatures affect our food supply ? What will this change? We are already seeing sea level rise due to ice melting at a faster rate. Is adaptation possible? What can I do ?

Project Goal

The project goal is to compare today’s real-time temperature to the maximum daily temperature of the same week in a past period with less climate change and also with a period in the near-term future with more climate change than now. This will give the viewer a sense of how much the climate has changed and will change in the future with a moderate Greenhouse Gas(GHG) emission scenario.

The more the temperature changes, the more we will also experience increases in annual precipitation and extreme storm precipitation, more floods and droughts, and more sea level rise and increases in coastal flooding. Some of these local climate changes possible over time can be found in Reference 1 below and some of the statewide impacts and management plans in References 2 and 3. Reference 4 is the US National Climate Assessment which also summaries some impacts and adaptation strategies.