AN ART installation calling for action against climate change appeared at Cumnock’s Woodroad park last week.
Created by artist Brian Carey from Auchinleck, he has aimed it at all World Leaders who will be participating at the COP26 Conference in Glasgow this year.
The work is titled ‘TREE OF LIFE’ and it comprises of names of people from relatives, to strangers, to loved ones, and to the very organisms of our planet that hang in the balance.
In the artwork the foliage of the tree is also made up of various names. The sculpture of the woman by artist and close friend of Brian’s, Kirti Mandir, represents both Mother Earth and Mankind. She wears a mask of our present time and stands as a reminder to those United Nations participants.
The COP26 lettering is made using disposable gloves partially filled with water to represent the displacement of people who are dying either from consequences of climate change or conflict.
The work was filmed by the BBC to feature in the programme ‘My Kind of Town’ to be screened later in the year.
Speaking about his work, Brian hopes that it can continue the conversation about the action needed to tackle climate change.
He told the Chronicle: “I’ve done a lot of things like this which were done by using waste materials and old stuff to show the impact we can have on our community.
“I started doing all of this around eight or nine years ago when my dog cut its paw on a piece of glass and it got me thinking about the way we treat our area.
“Since then I have made an effort to clear up the area as much as I can and to do as much as I can.
“The reality is though, that without change from the very top, all of us little people can’t make the difference that is needed. That’s why this piece is focusing on the leaders who will be involved in the conference this year.
“Since I started out, there has been a lot of change, but there’s still an awful long way to go.
“It’s encouraging seeing how aware the younger generation are and how much they know and want to change. They won’t be fed any lies from the people at the top who will tell us what we want to hear.
“A young group of boys even came up to me when I had finished the work at the Woodroad and asked me about it, so that’s quite refreshing to see as well.
“If something like this can force someone else to have a conversation about climate change or what we need to do, then it’s another small step to where we need to be.”
Brian details the work he does via his Facebook page Brian Carey Art.
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