Kairos is an ambitious science communication project that incorporates climate change models and research into dramatic virtual reality (VR) environments. Our team of artists, scientists, and technologists will develop immersive worlds for parents and children to experience together in children’s and science museums across the US and internationally. The core vision for Kairos is to translate enormous amounts of scientific data to present global warming hotspots to audiences in a visceral, multisensory manner, so they may experience the pace and scale of climate change on an individual level. In partnering with local communities, we will create custom experiences for each city or institution that hosts the exhibit by using regional climate information. The deliberate design of the exhibit space alongside the immersive virtual reality experience together will engage and inform participants from any demographic—young, old, urban, rural—, as Kairos translates science into understanding and brings research to the community.

This project, Kairos: The Artifact, is our proof-of-concept VR experience focusing on a forested area of Central New York which the team had access to during the worst of the COVID-19 lockdown. The ACCelerate Festival will be the first public exhibition of the Kairos project.

Team:

• Heath Hanlin
• Christina Leigh Docteur
• Elisa Dekaney
• Nicholas Dekaney
• Emily Stokes-Rees
• Odette Marie Rodriguez
• Heath Hanlin
• Kurtis Wothe