Waiting for Climate Change

Commissioned for Estuary 2021, Waiting for Climate Change is an outdoor installation by Isaac Cordal sited in the estuary itself on Chalkwell Beach in Southend on Sea.

The Spanish street artist has created a series of 15 characters, visible at low and high tide. The sculptures observe the horizon with vests and lifebelts, but they also appear immersed in their mobile screens and distracted by immediate, daily life concerns.

Prepared for an emergency, the characters seem to absently look on as the water level rises and the tide comes in.  In a challenge to our often-passive relationship with climate change, Cordal hopes to spark discussions around the climate emergency and the risk presented by rising sea levels.