A Crystal encrusted whale skeleton is the centrepiece of a new and unique art exhibition which analyses possibly the greatest threat facing humanity - climate change. The Art of Climate Change, at the Natural History Museum, is being held in conjunction with Cape Farewell, a project which has taken renowned artists to the Arctic to create works inspired by climate change.

The six metre long minke whale was found washed up near Skegness, Lincolnshire, on the UK's east coast. Using a special crystallisation process, the bones were encrusted with ice-like alum crystals. To their credit, the artists dissected the six metre whale with their own bare hands, dealing with the stench of the rotting carcass and its infestation of maggots. The dissection is shown on a video alongside the sculpture and helps to remind that what is now a beautiful piece of art work was once a living creature.

Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey say they were inspired by seeing thousands of whales washed up on the Arctic coast as a direct result of the acidification of the ocean from rising levels of carbon dioxide. Set against a stark white background, the glittering sculpture, entitled Stranded, appears incredibly fragile and cuts a lonely figure.

The Art of Climate Change is an art exhibition. The Arctic theme is explored through words, photography, film, sound and sculpture. At first glance many pieces appear dedicated to the awesome landscape of the Arctic, but on closer inspection, and a little explanation, the underlying message that a previously untouched world has been changed forever by our actions and decisions emerges. As you explore other artworks, including a hologram of a woman dancing inside a small box, poignant glacial ice texts and a 45 minute video of an iceberg crashing into the sea, sound recordings from the Arctic of ice melting and cracking and winds howling echo through out the exhibition.

The only thing missing is to drop the temperature inside the Natural History Museum a few dozen degrees. Another highlight is a photographic essay piece which charts the discovery of a new island only found after global warming melted away the covering ice. Artist Alex Hartley, who first spotted the island, has actually laid claim to sovereignty of the island, which he has named Nymark.

The Art of Climate Change is open from June 3 to September 3 at the Natural History Museum.

Source: This is Local London