Today, through news outlets; social media; word of mouth; and more, almost everyone is subject to hearing about the losses, fears, and threats, posed to us by climate change on a daily basis. These concerns are often shown to us with an emphasis on the future: What will happen? What will we do about this? When will we see the effects? Much less common, however, is the presentation of current climate change efforts as well as their history where viewers can see how far we’ve come and where we still have to go.
This disparity is offset by the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit “Emerging Ecologies: Architecture and the Rise of Environmentalism”, a presentation of climate-aware architecture and its development through decades of growing understanding and care towards the global environment. In a time where climate change activists are fighting to shed light on the importance of sustainability and other climate-healthy practices, the Emerging Ecologies exhibit serves as a reminder of the crises and creativity that inspired many of the sustainable practices we depend on today, and how their implementation aids us in preventing a further decline in the health of the earth. Its pieces inspire a feeling of innovation and capability, reminding viewers that where changing technologies have created problems, they also allow for solutions. In doing so, the exhibit touches on the environmentalist movement, encouraging viewers to get involved.
While the exhibit does not limit its audience in any sense, its message targets younger generations, despite it mainly featuring art that followed the 1960s and 1970s. Upon entering the showroom, you are greeted by a message from the museum—one that reminds visitors that MoMA is currently working to decrease its carbon footprint, a necessary step we should all be taking to preserve our earth. With this, I began my experience at the exhibit thinking about our environment and how it requires our action in order to survive. While most would agree global participation would be best to preserve the earth’s health for future generations, this message is felt most by the people who will live to see fallout of climate change if it is left unaddressed. And, as mentioned by MoMA’s message, current building and architectural methods make a large contribution to carbon emissions and unsustainable practices, making them, and their advancements in sustainability, the centerpiece of the exhibit.
Two pieces in particular encapsulate the encouraging message of the exhibit: “Sun Furnace in Your Attic” and the Women’s Environmental Fantasies Scroll. Printed on the cover of Popular Science, the image “Sun Furnace in Your Attic” (1949), illustrated by Ray Pioch, displays solar engineer Maria Telkes’ idea for a home solely dependent on solar energy. While never being successfully executed, Telkes’ design for the solar home was one of the first to be independent of fossil fuels, like oil, which was facing a scarcity problem at the time. This kind of innovation remained persistent, and eventually led to the harnessing of renewable energy sources, like solar, which is used across the world today, providing energy to many buildings, residential and commercial alike. This sentiment is also shown in the Scroll of Women’s Environmental Fantasies, a series of drawings done by six female gradates of architecture school in pen, pencil, and marker on a scroll of paper. The women’s’ drawings involved integrating buildings, particularly their dream houses, into the environment they are built into. One example, “Jenny’s Happy Time Tennis Place”, shows a home built into a tree with lots of open space around it to be used to play and grow with the environment. By working with the environment, instead of against it, architecture could move beyond deforestation and depleting resources, just like the examples presented by Ray Pioch and Jenny, of the architecture school graduates.
Aside from the pieces themselves, the exhibit’s curation draws attention to the message of sustainability and its importance. The exhibit is dark; the walls are a navy blue, which makes the greens and bright earth tones stand out, looking vibrant and lively. As I progressed through the exhibit, I felt that the pieces progressed as well, moving through time, and highlighting the progression of environmental understanding and creation, which also enhances the viewing experience.
In an era when climate awareness is crucial, seeing the Emerging Ecologies exhibit is as well. It opens viewers to the world of innovation surrounding sustainability and reminds them of the importance of keeping the earth as healthy as possible, for years to come. Without this exhibit, and others like it, the importance of environmentalism would be lost on many, making it a must-see.
Ellie- I really like the way you described the exhibit and the pieces, giving us an understanding of what it was about but at the same time not giving too much away. I agree with your sentiment that current leaders constantly think about the how or what of the climate crisis, rather than acting, and that the message resonates most with “the people who will live to see [the] fallout.” Your interpretation and analysis of the message really inspired me to go see it myself and see what understanding I make of it!