The Submersion exhibition was the result of a two-year-long interdisciplinary collaboration between the PROTECT project and the École Supérieure d’Art et Design (ESAD) of Grenoble-Valence. This initiative was driven by the ambition to merge cutting-edge climate science with artistic expression, making the complex issue of sea-level rise more tangible and accessible to a broad audience. The aim was also to familiarize as many art and design students as possible with environmental issues and give them the opportunity to include these issues in their future practice.
Structured through four major workshops, this collaboration engaged students, faculty, artists, and scientists in an iterative creative process. Each workshop had a specific focus, gradually shaping the final exhibition by integrating visual storytelling, augmented reality, and immersive media.
An exhibition of 3 independent areas
While each area can be presented independently based on space limitations and specific requests, together they deliver a cohesive and powerful message.
Area 1: The aesthetics of the cryosphere: a series of 8 posters in augmented reality
A collection of serigraphed posters visually narrates the life cycle of ice, from snowflake formation to glacial retreat. These posters present the raw beauty of the cryosphere, without explanatory text, inviting viewers to reflect. Augmented reality (AR) content, accessible by scanning the posters, provides additional scientific insights.
Area 2: Video diptych: future story lines of a coastal town
A two-screen installation shows contrasting futures of a fictional coastal town based on IPCC AR6 projections (IPCC, 2022) and PROTECT’s sea-level rise data. The left screen depicts a low-emission scenario (SSP1-2.6), while the right presents a high-emission scenario (SSP3-7.0), integrating political, societal, and environmental factors. The storyline approach emphasizes that the future is still unwritten.
Area 3: Impact of individual actions on glacier mass loss
A set of 4 posters quantifies the climate impact of four key behavioral choices identified in IPCC AR6 (IPCC, 2022)—avoiding flights, not owning a car, adopting a plant-based diet, and not having pets—through their direct effect on glacier mass loss (based on Marzeion et al. 2018).
How to get the exhibition
Contact office@protect-slr.eu
Technical characteristics (coming soon)
Submersion featured at the Experimenta art-science Biennale
Selected for the Experimenta Art-Science Biennale, Submersion joined an internationally recognized platform at the intersection of art, science, and technology. The exhibition reached diverse audiences, from policymakers to local communities, highlighting the importance of collective action in addressing climate change.
Acknowledgments
ESAD Grenoble•Valence, particularly the Valence site, Place des Beaux-Arts (Drôme), with the support of teachers Dominique Cunin and Tom Henni.
We extend our sincere thanks to the entire team at ESAD Grenoble•Valence, especially teachers Dominique Cunin and Tom Henni, as well as Florian Veydarier, Raphaëlle Vermeil, and Lionel Chalaye, teaching assistants in the artistic workshops made available. A special thanks also to the administrative teams for their support.
This project was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement number 869304. The PROTECT project is led by IGE-CNRS. This material reflects only the views of the authors, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.