Finland: Siltanews – News Desk
Climate Clock will comprise a new permanent public art trail running through the city of Oulu, Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2026. The trail will feature seven site-specific outdoor installations—each one created by an artist-scientist duo—that celebrate the region’s natural beauty. As one of the world’s northernmost cities, located on the edge of the Arctic Circle, Oulu is experiencing the effects of climate change more rapidly than the global average.
The trail, which will open in June 2026, is curated by Alice Sharp, the founder and artistic director of the UK-based international environmental art organization Invisible Dust. Sharp has 15 years of experience working with artists and scientists.
She says of the project: “The climate clock is ticking, the snow is melting, and we are learning anew what our forebears knew—that time is not ours to command; that nature keeps its own time. It has been so exciting to see how the artists have embraced scientific environmental thinking in the context of Oulu2026, from [exploring] the archaeological remains of Stone Age spiritual practices to measuring the uncontrollable melting of glaciers.”
The London-based artist Rana Begum’s contribution will be the result of a collaboration with the glaciologist Alun Hubbard from the University of Oulu. Drawing on his research highlighting the alarming rate at which Arctic Circle glaciers are melting, Begum is creating an interactive series of sculptures inspired by Oulu’s subarctic light and the intricate shapes of its sea ice—to be displayed in the city’s central square.