A huge thumbs up to all the hardy peeps who donned their black or yellow Earth 350 macs on Hove Lawns on Saturday for the King Canute 'live' sculpture.
It was bloomin cold, which made the success even more heroic & showed how strongly people in Brighton & Hove feel about climate change. More than 2,000 people braved the chilly climes to form an image of King Canute designed by Radiohead lead-singer Thom Yorke.
A social comment on the dangers of ignoring climate change
The public art display was designed to send a climate warning to political leaders in the run-up to the UN Climate Talks in Cancun. According to legend, King Canute set his throne by the sea shore and commanded the tide to halt, only to be soaked by the ocean’s waves. Just as Canute realized his own arrogance, Earth 350 aim to show how world leaders today must realize the dangers of ignoring climate change.
The image of King Canute was designed by Yorke and Stanley Donwood. The picture also appeared on the cover of Yorke’s album Eraser.
From King Canute to Icelandic polar bears
The Brighton event was one of over a dozen similar displays taking place as part of 350 EARTH. The image of King Canute was joined by a giant sun in South Africa; a polar bear on an Icelandic glacier; a scarab in the Egyptian desert; an eagle in Los Angeles, plus many more.
Brighton & Hove pledge to reduce carbon emissions
The Brighton-Hove event also had the backing of Brighton & Hove Council, who spearhead a city-wide coalition of organisations and businesses that form 10:10 Brighton & Hove. All have pledged to reduce CO2 emissions by 10% in a year by simple, achievable measures.
For more on Earth 350 visit their website or check out more images on their official Flickr page.
Sarah
VisitBrighton
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