The LOOK Climate Lab exhibition gave me a strong impression of climate change being a universal challenge that can be seen in everything. It is something that requires joined forces to be addressed, and it is a problem which demands continuous efforts. Just as the world is always advancing and needs new simulations, it requires innovative ideas to continuously evolve and improve. Works that especially caught my attention are the ones produced with the aid of AI. AI is an interesting medium as it reduces the limitations of what can be captured and produced using traditional methods. Similar to how photography replaced the need for portraiture and documentation using paint, AI can be seen as a competitor to photography. In this case, can AI be an ideal tool when addressing climate change? We need contemporary solutions and resources to bring change. Could this be the way? The works that collaborated with Al are those of Mario Popham and Mishka Henner. Mario Popham uses site-specific materials, exploring nature and post-industrial green spaces in chaos, decay, and creation, using photographs taken at a former coal mine in Wigan, and AI to bring out those qualities. On his website, Popham describes “Strange Eden” as a work that looks at the mystery and imperfection of “Eden”, in other words, the flaws of a paradise. The series of photographs uses unique perspectives and colour combinations: from cool earthy greens and browns to soft and subtle whites and grey, depicting natural scenery with industrial traces at the surface. Mishka Henner in his practice produces films and photography, delving into the themes of cultural and industrial infrastructure. The “Executive Decision” is an aesthetic depiction of disasters, encouraging the audience to visualise strategies to deal with the side effects they produce. Using documentary photography and AI, the “”Executive Decision”” is part of a “”Search History” series of images, which aims to create new art using AI and art history in the context of addressing contemporary issues. The series was produced as part of the Energy House 2.0 residency, based on research around ways we can see energy. The work is especially compelling as it demonstrates the evolution of art, all the way from the old masters to the current moment, where AI has become a big competitor for photography. The series uses classical themes in a modernised way, displaying many powerful images of people and landscapes from multiple styles and viewpoints. This brings me back to the key question: does AI help us better understand and deal with climate change? Similar events have already happened in the art world, such as ‘’Sensation” from 1997 at the Royal Academy in London. “”Sensation”” displayed the controversial private collection of Charles Saatchi, ranging from Chris Ofili’s black Madonna (“The Holy Virgin Mary”), addressing themes of religion and race, to Damien Hirst’s preserved shark (“The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living”), touching upon ethical issues and animal cruelty. Despite using different mediums, what all those works have in common is the controversy and radically new ideas, questioning what art is. The exhibition caused many scandals, but overall was revolutionary. It provided much more credit to diversity and inclusion in the contemporary art world, where a gallery is no longer a place for the elite, but for the public, a place that addresses modern problems and everyday struggles of the people, while creating significant content for all.

In a world where access to information online is greater than ever, it can also produce other restraints, is more always better? And can consumerism by making us want more, play a role in controlling our freedom in our ability to self-express instead? Casey Orr- “Fashion and bodily self-expression are important and powerful tools for us all, to state who we are beyond consumerism and capitalism”. In response to the ever-changing retail department, Casey Orr in "Saturday Town” explores self-expression through inclusivity in her vibrant series of portraiture, dressed in diverse fabrics and styles, combined with a singular colour vibrant background each photo produces a sense of a unique identity. The viewer is then free to make their interpretation of the individual, whether it is the person who creates this identity or is it the clothing and accessories themselves. By combining and altering different styles of hair or clothing people can adapt different tribe identities and express values, which can be seen as a luxury we only happen to have in the recent century. Back in the past limitations like status and financial income limited people's ability to self-express and try on different identities. However, what could be argued now is that our new consumerism-driven society pushes us to buy more and have more, where people are fixated on buying things they don't need, without really questioning the influence of branding and the market on our desire to shop and buy for more. The consumerism-driven society also links to other issues like climate change and forced child labour, therefore adding a need for a shift in our society’s values of “more being better”, where people are eventually reduced to what, and how much they own. Reducing the need and the importance we find in increasing our possessions could have a positive effect on everyone, allowing people to spend more time being creative in altering their existing wardrobe and enjoying what they already have. Sam Patton and the “Room to Breathe” dedicated to celebrate the quiet moments of joy, can be a great example of how going out, dressing up and always working and purchasing products is great, nevertheless the moments where we can slow down, and breath are just as important and can be crucial in a world influenced by social media. In conclusion as a society, we should aim to be able to enjoy the privileges provided to us in the 21st century, of self-expression and the freedom of being able to purchase anything at any time thanks to the technology. However, we should also be able to incorporate a mindset to be able to reflect on what we already own, resulting in a better financial and emotional state of well-being.