Abstract/Artist’s Statement

“Climate Comfort” is a weighted blanket crafted as a reflection on potential climate futures depicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s sixth assessment report. The blanket holds different amounts of weight in five colored panels to reflect the five possible climate outcomes projected by the report. The weight allotted to each panel, made using sand from at-risk coastal areas around the New York Harbor, corresponds with the degree change of global surface temperature and resulting sea level rise that would prompt each of the five outcomes. 

The sand is distributed unevenly to represent the unequal impacts of climate issues on different communities, particularly small island nations and coastal areas like the New York Harbor. This distribution also serves as a palpable representation of the differing weight of severity each possible outcome may bring. The quilting of the blanket provides a visual representation of sea level rise, with sand distributed so that the weight of the blanket increases further away from the visual shoreline. No panel is completely without weight, as there are no outcomes that allow us to fully shirk the weight of the climate crisis. 

The quilt is ultimately an object of comfort, though the one who holds it also holds the weight of looming climate futures, signifying the necessity of hope as a tool against climate change, even if we cannot shake the heavier parts of this struggle. This piece is intended to make tangible the data of predicted climate futures which may otherwise seem distant and abstract. I hope that in viewing and holding this piece, audiences will begin to consider what kinds of futures they hope for, what weight those futures may carry, and how we can find comfort and strength in the face of our changing coastlines.

Weight Distribution

The weight of the blanket was distributed in five sections reflecting the five potential climate futures depicted in the IPCC Sixth Report. Specifically, the weight was determined in accordance with predicted best estimate changes in global surface temperature in degrees Celsius for each of the five outcomes, as shown in the table below:

One challenge of the project was determining how to calculate the weight to be distributed to each section of the blanket so that the weight would be significant and noticeable, but the quantity of sand would still be able to fit properly within the sections allotted without overflowing. In the end, the weight of each section was calculated by multiplying the Best Estimate degree change number by 80 and using that number to dictate the number of grams used in the section. The resulting distribution is represented in the table below:

The resulting total combined weight of the sand within the blanket is 1,112 grams (2.45 lbs).

Process

The blanket was first designed by creating a digital approximation of the design and determining how large the finished product would have to be in order to accommodate all five sections. Once materials had been acquired, I began by cutting out 16x16” squares from each fabric and proceeded to mark them with lines indicating roughly where each section would begin and end. I then cut out each piece and sewed together the resulting panels to create the design on the front of the blanket. 

After I had the front finished, I cut out another two 16x16” squares from the navy blue flannel and layered them, along with the front panel, so that I could sew them along three sides. When I turned this inside out, it resembled the blanket as it is now, with the front panel on one side, a navy blue panel on the back, and two panels of flannel on the inside in order to reduce the chance of sand spilling through the fabric. (I was pleased to find that luckily the flannel I found was very tightly woven and sand does not slip through it easily). After I had this version of the blanket completed, I sewed along the curved lines of the sections (using five different corresponding thread colors) to create five channels withing the blanket that would hold the five sections of sand. I then measured out four rectangles of navy blue fabric, ironed them, and sewed them together to create the trim of the blanket. I sewed this trim around the edges on three sides, leaving one side open so I could add the sand.

To add the sand, I first sifted through it to ensure no larger shells or pieces of litter were used to fill the blanket. I measured out the amounts for each section of the blanket using a kitchen scale and poured them into separate bags. After pinning the blanket with horizontal lines to mark where the channels would be for the sand I began one section at a time filling a channel with a pre-measured portion of the sand, and then sewing over the section to create a pocket. I did this for all twenty-five individual sections of the blanket. Finally, I sewed the trim along the top edge of the blanket and it was finally complete!

Themes

Sustainability Narratives

The concept of climate narratives has been central to this piece and to my studies this past semester. Part of the inspiration for this project came from viewing the IPCC report less as a series of stated facts and predictions, and more as an unfinished story being told. After all, the climate crisis is one big story that is not yet finished being told. The different climate futures predicted in the report each represent different continuations to the story of humanity’s battle against the changing climate. One of my frustrations with current visions of sustainable futures is that they lack the narrative connection between our current situation and the future. Disconnected utopias may provide some inspiration, but ultimately I find that they leave the future seeming “other” and unattainable. With this piece I hope to bring some aspect of our future into the physical present with the hopes that by feeling it with their own hands, people might feel one step closer to bridging the gap between present and future. I firmly believe that our ability to achieve an environmentally viable future depends on the stories we tell ourselves about the reality we find ourselves in and the kinds of futures that are possible. It is my hope that this piece is a tangible representation of the open ended climate narrative we are living in and that maybe those who hold it will find some clarity about where we are and where we could possibly go from here.

Coastal Spaces & Littoral Zones

The weight within this blanket consists entirely of sand taken from coastal areas. Specifically for this piece the sand was brought from the beaches at Coney Island, NY. By using beach sand, the weight of the blanket is literally made of at risk matter. When you feel the weight of the blanket you are not just feeling the weight of the climate crisis, but also the weight of coastal regions that are gradually disappearing.’

Distribution of Burden

As stated above, the weight is distributed unevenly. This distribution has two equally important meanings. The first meaning is representative of the different burden we will bear depending on what climate future becomes our reality, with the heavier sections representing higher degree changes in global surface temperature. The second meaning is representative of how different areas and different people bear the weight of the climate crisis differently. 

IPCC Sixth Assessment Report

As described above, this piece is a tangible representation of statistics presented within the IPCC’s sixth assessment report. The blanket was largely inspired by the information contained in the report as well as the feelings of discomfort that the information within the report inspired in me. 

Comfort

A weighted blanket is an object of comfort, traditionally used to ease anxiety. This project turns that idea on its head in some ways, by making the weight of the blanket represent the source of anxiety. Comfort, and by extension hope, are essential tools in times of crisis. The inspiration for this project came to me during a period when I was feeling particularly hopeless about the dire climate futures depicted by the IPCC report and I wanted to create an item that could be a source of comfort and hope while still acknowledging the ever-present burden of the environmental crisis. 

Weight

The blanket uses weight as both a metaphorical and physical concept. The metaphorical weight of climate change, synonymous with the sheer burden of the crisis on individuals and societies, is represented. However, the blanket is also a physical representation of weight. Those who hold it are able to tangibly feel the different weights of climate outcomes and notice how some are heavier than others. In this way the piece is a palpable representation of the metaphorical weight of climate change and how it is distributed across different regions and different narratives. 

Global Surface Temperature Rise

The statistic I chose to represent in the weight of the blanket was degree change in global temperature. I chose this measure of change for a few reasons. First, because in conversations about how we must approach climate change, limiting the rise in global surface temperature seems to be the most popular metric for our progress. In conversations held at the recent COP26 there was much heated (pun not intended) debate around the difference between 1.5 and 2.0 degree change in surface temperature. The second reason I chose this measure was because surface temperature levels seem to be an indicator of all changes to come. Other issues from sea level rise to extreme weather to crop failures to air quality all seem to stem from how warm we allow our planet to get. For these reasons, I felt that the change in global surface temperature would be the best and most understandable representation of how our would will be changed.

Sea Level Rise

The visual aspect of this blanket is representative of sea level rise. After all, this project is meant primarily as a meditation on climate change as it impacts coastal areas. The color gradient of the different sections represents a coastline, with the panels getting lighter as the water gets shallower, and ending with a beach colored panel representing land. As described above, the blanket’s sandy beach represents those most distant from the tangible impacts of climate change, particularly more privileged in-land areas. The portions of the blanket that bear the most weight are representative of the parts of our world that are already bearing the most weight in the climate crisis, smaller coastal nations.