FUTURE ISLAND AT 59°21'38"N

Future Island is a public art project by OOZE (Eva Pfannes and Sylvain Hartenberg) and Marjetica Potrč. It is being currently constructed as part of the main landscape at the new Albano Campus of Stockholm University.

It will be inaugurated in 2022. The project has been commissioned by the Public Art Agency Sweden for two Swedish public property developers, Akademiska Hus and Svenska Bostäder.

Future Island is a narrative landscape. Its story is climate change. It is a micro-ecosystem, a biotope of plants, animals and stones that constantly adapts to the slowly changing conditions over the next 100 years. The island is divided along the latitude of 59°21’38”N into two zones: a warm zone in the north and a cold zone in the south. The warm zone is heated up to 5°C more than the surrounding area, creating harsh conditions that simulate the ones experienced by flora and fauna at the front lines of climate change. It is an experimental platform that communicates climate change to the public and creates a shared imaginary of our possible future.

ENERGY AND STONE

Future Island is constructed with boulders and rocks, the main protagonists of the island. They form a body of inertia which keeps and transmit the heat. A dual heating system is set in place: a network of heated pipes running in the ground that keeps a consistent temperature with sensors; and five circuits of pipes running through 27 drilled stones that gives a sensorial experience to the landscape. The warmth is provided by a combined air/water heat pump connected to a photovoltaic field of solar panels. The system is self-sufficient, generating 120MW/year.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Three distinct micro environments are created on the Island, the +5°C heated North (the future), the ambient South (the present) and the humid wet east coast. Fields of rocks, valleys and micro-fjords will offer habitats for biological communities of plants and animals. A selection of native flora such as grasses, mosses, lichens, water plants, and native fauna such as and insects, mammals, reptiles, birds and fishes will be introduced evenly on the island and its rivers. Those species will settle, form communities, flourish, dominate, die and leave space for other new species. Migration, changes of living patterns, mutation and adaptation will occur and inevitably reshape the living patterns on the island. Over time, distinct behaviors will probably emerge, giving a glimpse into possible futures on earth. The evolution will be monitored and documented by students, children, researchers of Stockholm University and other actors who wishes to engage with the island. “Science House Stockholm” (Vetenskapens Hus) will host a Living Archive and a website connected to a specific database, collecting information via climate loggers located at strategic points on the island that record temperature, relative humidity of soil and air and other relevant factors.

ACTORS AND ENGAGEMENT

The project explores different ways of initiating and procuring a permanent artwork in public space over 100 years. Its commissioners consider it as a pilot project whose role is to explore different strategies of procurement and processes leading to the elaboration of a durable piece. In 2016 the Public Space Agency invited the artist/architect collective to develop a concept in consultation with the overall Albano Campus main design and client team, aiming to bring this process to a level where all stakeholders could relate and be part of the project’s life. Long-lasting local stakeholders such as scientists and researchers from Stockholm University and the Science House secure a future for the island. Awareness, education, exploration and communication are important facets in the project. A series of activities around and about Future Island will form the base for different type of engagements, from semi-scientific monitoring and data collection to documenting and reflecting on the evolution of the Island. The information collected will be integrated in the overall narrative of the island across time, making evolutionary processes visible and understandable to the public.

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