Drought Stone I, 2022
sandstone carving at Rudyard Lake, Staffordshire
First of a series of stone carvings bearing witness to drought and flood levels as extreme weather becomes normalised.
A hunger stone (German: Hungerstein) is a type of hydrological landmark common in Central Europe. Hunger stones serve as famine memorials and warnings and were erected in Germany and in ethnic German settlements throughout Europe in the 15th through 19th centuries.
These stones were embedded into a river during droughts to mark the water level as a warning to future generations that they will have to endure famine-related hardships if the water sinks to this level again. One famous example in the Elbe river in Děčín, Czech Republic, has "Wenn du mich siehst, dann weine" ("If you see me, then weep") carved into it as a warning.
In 2022 we saw rivers and lakes water levels fall to extremes. This piece of contemporary artwork will form part of a new set of warning stones to mark low water levels. Next year, if we see them again we will know that this is a pattern rather than an event. I will return to have a ceremonial opening for the drought stone and to add 2023 to the carving. I plan to mark flood levels as well, and plan a series of Fire Memorials on the moors.
If You See Me, Then Weep, 2023, video, 5 mins
The phrase 'If you see me, then weep' is translated into the languages of the countries most affected now by climate change. Climate change is a crisis for everyone, but the most impoverished people in the world are feeling its effects first and worst, paying a high price for greenhouse gases emitted by wealthier people in polluting countries.
Countries that rely on agriculture, and are in the warmer parts of the world, are more vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. As the world heats up, and weather patterns shift and become less predictable, there is a higher likelihood of crop failures, making food more expensive and are more likely to be affected by extreme weather such as storms, droughts, floods, and higher temperatures.
In most of these places, women are among the most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change: They represent nearly half the agricultural work force in low- and middle-income countries.