Toward 2050 Installation by Barbara Schneider

 After several thwarted attempts I was able to go to the Phoenix Botanical garden this past week to see the textile flag labyrinth installation that was created about climate change.  At least a few of our ACN members contributed flags for the project.  It was lovely to walk through the garden and then enter the area where it was installed. Looking at the labyrinth and the "tree" in the middle against the backdrop of mountains and blue sky was a beautiful sight.  I walked the labyrinth which was marked along the way by metal signs on the ground that indicted the passing of years between now and 2050.

TOWARD 2050 was organized by Valley-based textile artist Ann Morton.  It invited people to create hand-made artwork reflecting their perspective on the environment. Morton  then assembled each individual artwork to create a thoughtful and immersive installation in the form of a labyrinth.

The project is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2023 Synthesis Report that established goals and pathways to reverse greenhouse gas emissions and arrive at net zero emissions by 2050. TOWARD 2050 takes visitors on a journey that looks 25 years into the future of our environment.

As an artist you could submit any number of small prayer flags (2 sided) that spoke to some aspect of climate change.  They were hung on small bent metal holders that then were laid out to create the path to the center of the labyrinth.  As you walked  through you could look at flags from front or back, I saw  a lot in interesting approaches in both subject matter and techniques.

The exhibit is on display until June 1, 2025.

Seeing how people interacted with the flags was an experience in itself.  Some jumped over the flags to get done faster, others stopped to read, others took their time and walked  more meditatively. 

Here are some photos of the installation taken while walking the labyrinth path. 

I was able to find some of my flags and also Connie's.