A provocative sculpture, to demonstrate that even in the desert it is possible to produce ice. The idea comes from the Dutch artist Ap Verheggen
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himImagine drawing one leaf great, very great, teacher of nature for its ability to absorb the energy of the sun through photosynthesis, cover its 200 square meters of surface with solar cells. Place under the gigantic structure of the leaf a system of capacitors capable of absorbing themoisture from the desert air. In this way, even in the conditions in which the highest temperatures are recorded, it will produce a layer of ice on the underside. A dream?
Yes, and it is that of the Dutch artist - as well as Unesco cultural ambassador - Ap Verheggen, who provided an aesthetic suggestion to solve the problem of climate change, creating a sort of "glacier”In the desert, his Sunglacier sculpture is a warning cry against the global warming which continues undeterred to devastate the planet. Of course, installing glaciers in the desert will not solve the constantly worsening water problems, but it will serve to demonstrate, as the artist explains, that theapparently impossible is possible.
His idea, impracticable in itself, is actually a warning, which stimulates those in duty to fight against global warming and to find innovative solutions. “I give inspiration. Others will have to figure out what can really be done, ”Verheggen said. “We need to open the frontiers of our thinking. Producing ice in the desert means breaking down borders, opening up to a new world ".
La gigantic sculpture by Verheggen at the moment it is just a sketch and a series of graphs in a laboratory a Zoetermeer, near his home in The Hague. But the cofely, a refrigeration company that builds custom-designed ice rinks and cooling units for food storage, appears to have taken an interest in the visionary artist's idea and is testing the principles of ice making in the desert.
A ZoetermeerMeanwhile, engineers produced a 10-centimeter (4-inch) thick layer of ice on an aluminum plate inside a box that simulates desert conditions, with the temperature set at 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). . A humidifier provides humidity, and a fan faces the ice like a desert breeze. THE test should be completed within the next year, then the task of sculpting the massive work will begin. It is thought to be in an unidentified North African country. According to the scientist Andras Szollosi-Nagi Verheggen's work falls at the crossroads of art, environment and science: "It is an extraordinary, unusual piece and that makes it very exciting."
"Verheggen's work will have great symbolic importance" continued Szollosi-Nagi, rector of theInstitute for Water Education dell’Unesco. “We are not good at conveying simple messages in a powerful way. Science has its limits, beyond which art can go. The project demonstrates that hope can still be generated in a totally hopeless environment ”.
It all depends on us.
Francesca Mancuso
