Burning House

‘Burning House’ is an interactive artwork that aims to bridge the communication gap between abstract scientific data and the general public. Scientific climate change research is important because it directly impacts the safety and wellbeing of humans and nature. However, it is often inaccessible to people without a science background.

With my project, I wanted to contribute to making this data more accessible, impactful, and engaging. To achieve this, the project transforms abstract temperature data into a physical experience that people can relate to. Viewers use a simple analog interface to select a global location and a future year. This causes a miniature paper apartment to physically heat up to match the predicted temperature of that specific scenario.

By allowing people to physically feel the heat radiating from the structure, they experienced the consequences of temperature rise in a way that deciphering a research paper cannot convey. Many viewers were visibly surprised by the intensity of the heat and tried out multiple scenarios on the interface. Overall, the project helped to make an important topic more impactful and accessible.