ALBEDO 0.31

Category: Art Installation
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Material: Polyvinyl chloride fabric
Size: 80 m (L) × 1.2 m (W)
Year: 2025

Albedo is a reference to the Earth's reflectivity number, how much of the Sun's energy is reflected back into space. As the poles melt the albedo number decreases increasing the absorption of the sun's energy which warms the planet further. A brilliant white stripe is stretched out along a black sand beach. The black absorbs the electromagnetic radiation emitted by our sun, and the white stripe modifies the earth's climate by reflecting the sun's electromagnetic radiation back into space, a tiny project in geo-engineering whose quantifiable result is negligible hinting at the futility humanity has at making a meaningful impact in countering the climate breakdown currently underway.