In Greenhouse Britain (2009), the Harrison’s chart the future effect of global warming on the UK describing a dark vision of rising waters, storm surges and retreating coastlines.

 

On visiting the Broomhill Sculpture Park, I speculated upon what would happen when the river Biddeford properly bursts its banks for the last time and instead of its previous tentative efforts of flooding which usually subside after a short period, the landscape was altered permanently, turning the lower part of Broomhill into a lake. 

 

How might it be to spend time in this environment? How would one respond to this threatening forecast, would it need it be all doom and gloom? How could we respond with creative proposals to this future scenario?

 

The project for Broomhill begins by responding to these questions. It proposes to construct a viewing tower, which would act as an imagined safe space, and prototype for the development of environmentally friendly shelters for the peoples who would be displaced as the waters overtake low-lying areas.

 

It offers the audience a future vision, a safe but thought-provoking place to contemplate a vision for the future Broomhill sculpture gardens and surrounding woodland which might adapt to host an increasing number of tree based works and aquatic sculpture.