Flare (Oceania)

Featuring a flag made of flames, set within a real-time simulated seascape based on photographs taken by Uili Lousi of his ancestral homeland in the island archipelago of Tonga, “Flare (Oceania)” is both a flag of climate emergency and a call to action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, in line with the Paris Climate Accords. John Gerrard brings to our attention the fact that upwards of 90% of the heat being generated by industrialized societies today, mainly in the Global North, is being absorbed by the ocean. With climate change, water temperatures are rising – threatening both sea life and the livelihood of coastal people; inducing alterations in climate patterns around the world such as the increase of hurricanes and other extreme weather events and rising sea levels that threaten islands and low-lying nations such as Tonga.

Gerrard has used state-of-the-art gaming technology to create a virtual portrait – a real-time simulation of the ocean around now-threatened Tonga. The reflection of the gas flare on the surface of the water creates a visceral symbol of the heating ocean and shows the world the harsh reality of climate change for low-lying nations.

Tonga becomes a symbol for entire humanity, reminding us all that climate change has no borders and that all countries and people share a common destiny, so we must take action.