Work-in-progress, in collaboration with Steve Bunn
In 1919, Jacob Bjerknes published his three-dimensional wire model that described the process and structure of a cyclone. This was a huge breakthrough in helping to understand how weather and climate worked. A conventional drawing or diagram was not an adequate way to show this, as airflow moves in at least four dimensions. In order to visualise the phenomenon, Bjerknes constructed the model which, due to its immense meteorological significance, became a symbol of climate research and the basis for all weather maps. Only photographic evidence remains of this fragile construction.
Earlier this year, I began to develop a project with Prof. Eystein Janssen, Dr Nils Gunnar, Dr Maarten Ambaum and Prof. David Stephenson to reconstruct a ‘21st Century’ version. The project involves the accurate reconstruction of the Bjerknes model, with the surface of each linear curve covered by ‘frozen’ swirls and ripples constructed through mathematical equations that produce chaotic patterns, currently used by scientists to help predict weather behaviour.
The fabrication process for this work is being led by Steve Bunn, using rapid prototyping and other facilities based at the Royal College of Art and the University of Brighton to produce the Stage 1 maquettes, with Steve Bunn and I working collaboratively to determine the final aesthetics of the sculpture. The fundamental principle behind the work is to link the hand-made analogue Bjerknes visualisation to three-dimensional digital prints that are derived from contemporary science and mathematical equations – linking historical discovery to current and future research.
Following the successful production of the Stage 1 maquettes, the data used to construct the shapes and surfaces of the small sculptures will be scaled up to produce a large-scale public sculpture, located at the entrance of the proposed new Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research building. It will have a highly-polished metal surface to reflect its surroundings and ambient light and its open construction will allow the viewer to ‘walk through a cyclone’.
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