Degraded Food by Climate Change

Understand how climate change can affect our food in various aspects, through artwork installations and interactive webpages.

Climate CrisisAwarenessFoodEducation

The artwork installation showing degraded oyster in the future, where it had smaller fruit and corroded surfaces.

Climate change: What does it mean for the future of our food? Will rising temperatures and carbon emissions trigger a food crisis? For this project, we researched three different kind of food: oysters, wheat, and steak. Those are impacted by climate change factors such as ocean acidification, rising temperatures, increasing carbon emissions, and emission policies. These factors collectively lead to sudden yield drops, significant nutrient loss, and potential replacements.

Our project is threefold: installations, interactive 3D web pages, and detailed dissemination of materials.

We crafted 3D-printed models of the affected food, then encased in resin with added colouring, creating stunning suspended artworks. Adding thermochromic paint, the outer layer reveals the model as temperature rise, cleverly simulating climate change effects, especially temperature issues.

We optimized and compressed these models, employing industrial-standard software and project management techniques to develop interactive artistic 3D web pages showcasing the models and information.

To complete the project, we extensively researched government reports, academic papers, and similar work, generating valuable insights. These were refined into promotional materials - including a website. Such materials not only delve into the project's content but also articulate our decisions for choosing this form of dissemination, their significance, and our reflections.

Zihan Zhou

Information Experience Design 2023 (MA)

Khushi Vishnoi

Design Products (MA)

Yubo Tian

Service Design (MA)

Kexin Wen (Kristy)

Jewellery and Metal (MA)

Erlun Zhang

Textiles (MA)

Brief

The oyster work demonstrates three issues brought by ocean acidification: thinner shells, corroded surfaces, and infected meat.

Click on this link to view the interactive webpage with more information.

An Image showing the thin shell of degraded oyster.

Thinner Shells – Oyster shells will keep thinning due to ocean acidification, jeopardizing their protective function. Thinner shells greatly reduce oysters' survival chances. Since the Industrial Revolution, seawater pH has dropped by 30%, projected to decrease another 0.4 units in 100 years. Scientists anticipate bivalve shells to become transparent due to extreme thinning.

Example of corroded surfaces of the oyster due to ocean acidification, with holes, grasses and sharp rocks.

Corroded Surfaces – Acidic substances in seawater dissolve oyster shells and render surfaces inhospitable for barnacles and parasites. Barnacles are vital in marine ecosystems, acting as filter feeders that clean seawater by consuming plankton and debris. They are crucial food sources for whales, fish, seabirds, and other marine life. A decline in their population disrupts the balance of the marine ecosystem.

Example of infected, corrupted, and yellow-ish meat of the oyster due to a lack of protection.

Infected Meat – Corroded oyster shells develop tiny pores, facilitating pathogen invasion and causing infections, reducing edible oyster quantities. This prevents many oysters from reaching adulthood, lowering meat yield per harvest. As a result, consumers may face higher prices for products of similar quality. Increased ocean acidity adversely affects regions reliant on fisheries.

Art installation reflecting the effectiveness of thermochromic coating. Inside the cube, the oyster is blurred.

Thermochromic Coating - On

Art installation showing the inactive state of thermochromic coating is inactive. Inside the cube, the oyster is visible.

Theromochromic Coating - Off

Example of the thermochromic coating gradually fading due to the increased heat of the environment.

Theromochromic Coating - Showing

Detail of the degraded oyster installation.

Installation - Close Up

Brief

The wheat work demonstrates three issues brought by soil carbonation and rising temperatures. This impacts production, nutritional value and increases pest harm.

Click on this link to view the interactive webpage with more information.

Example of degraded wheat with a reduced amount of fruits.

Reduced Production – Rising temperatures cause more frequent droughts, leading to lower wheat yields. Studies show that the average maximum temperature above 32°C during wheat's reproductive stage can decrease grain yields by up to 30%. Drought during flowering and grain-filling stages has the most significant impact, because insufficient moisture can cause grain "abortion" at any growth stage. Consequently, climate change may result in widespread reduction in staple crop production worldwide.

Example of increased pest harm due to climate change.

Pest Harm – Rising temperatures pose a significant threat of wheat pest infestation, reducing yields and quality. High temperatures can speed up pest lifecycles, leading to more generations per year. Additionally, they may expand the range of pests from tropical to temperate regions. Governments often respond by increasing pesticide use and farmer training, adding costs to wheat production. These expenses, coupled with wheat being a staple, affect the entire food chain, especially in impoverished regions already facing food shortage.

Wheat sample, with greyed colours and dried leaves, demonstrating its lack of nutrition.

Inferior Nutrition – Carbon in the atmosphere enters soil through biogeochemical cycles. Studies show dissolved carbon in soil can reduce protein in C3 grains (e.g., wheat, rice, barley, potatoes) by 7%-15%. In extreme conditions (CO2 at 690 ppm), essential elements in crops, such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, and manganese, suffer significant losses. These losses affect human diets by altering energy flow. To maintain energy and nutrition, humans need these substances from other foods.

Art installation reflecting the effectiveness of thermochromic coating. Inside the cube, the wheat is blurred.

Theromochromic Coating - On

Art installation showing the inactive state of thermochromic coating is inactive. Inside the cube, the wheat is visible.

Theromochromic Coating - Off

Thermochromic Coating - Showing

Detail of the degraded wheat installation.

Wheat - Close Up

Brief

The steak work demonstrates how steak might eventually be substituted by alternative protein sources.

Please note that due to an unavoidable failure of the 3D printer, the models of the steak could not be printed. Therefore we couldn't make the installation.

Click on this link to view the interactive webpage with more information.

The ‘future’ steak could be made from alternative protein sources such as insects, herein a wasp, and vegetables.

Alternative Protein – Food systems such as meat production — particularly livestock — impact climate change, contributing the most to carbon emissions — around 14.5% globally —. As the global economy grows, a rising middle class will increase protein demand, particularly for beef, exacerbating environmental issues due to livestock. Government documents and reports suggest replacing beef with alternative proteins to address this concern. Should we maintain beef consumption or transition to other protein sources now?

Example of a microalgae, showing the 'future' steak would be made from alternative protein sources such as insects and vegetables.

Alternative Protein - 2

Example of other protein sources such as wasp, caterpillar, and microalgae to replace steak.

Substitution Ingredients – Replacing livestock meat with plant protein and insects is majoritarily suggested as a solution. Such substitutes include high-protein insects such as cockroaches and caterpillars, and ocean-grown plants such as seaweed and microalgae. This substitution is expected if other industries don’t reduce carbon emissions.

A Sociological View to Climate Change

Climate change is both a sociological and ecological problem, which can be approached from various perspectives.

Sociologically, there is a need to communicate to the population how vital elements are being degraded due to climate change. This might awaken a larger number of people to environmental issues and lead to a change in their lifestyle.

This perspective is inspired by the ‘10 Actions to Tackle Climate Change’ from the United Nations, in which they proposed 10 feasible actions for people to take everyday. The report demonstrates that these actions, if implemented by a large number of people, can make a huge difference.

Food, among others, is a vital necessity. Damaged goods therefore create tremendous impacts on people’s lives and the overall structure of the society.

This project aimed to present the degradation of certain food due to climate change.

The Artistic Means

From the beginning of the project, we identified art as the primary output. This is because we collectively believed that software, product design, and similar outputs would allow for a proliferation of homogeneous products. As well, problem-solving wouldn't be approached through "artistic means.

Using art was a decision influenced by:

1. Attempting to dispel the superstition around technology: We understand that technology isn;t considered an art form in the Art world, particularly regarding solutions. We hope to explore the potential of Art as a practical problem-solving tool. We believe that technology is one direction for problem-solving that we identify as a "passive direction", as it often doesn't engage the subjective agency of users to solve problems. Rather, it seems to solve problems for users. However, we identify Art as the "active direction". This endeavours to awaken users' awareness and willingness to solve problems aims to drive users to autonomously address issues. From the user's perspective, problems are actively solved by themselves.

2. The "active direction" is more suitable for addressing climate change: Climate change is a systemic issue which regards and impacts everyone. According to the data from the United Nations, "90% of climate change is caused by human activities". As such psychological and behavioural activities of people are equated with climate change. We understand that the object of solution-finding should be related to people and the ways in which they think and behave. Based on the previous description of "active direction" and "passive direction," it can be inferred that the issue of climate change is more suitable for the "active direction" approach, that is, through artistic means.

Degraded Food by Climate Change

Brief

Brief

Brief

A Sociological View to Climate Change

The Artistic Means

Social

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Royal College of Art