Informationen (The information) was presented in three parts: a national mailout, an automated telephone response and a manned information desk at the Gothenburg Book Fair. The purpose was to draw attention to the increased levels of greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere, primarily the anthropogenic greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. The project was an interdisciplinary effort supported by Göteborg Energi and Svenska Mässan.

The mailout was a concentrated campaign consisting of seven different accordion fold cards sent to 400 people with some form of influence in society. The cards were sent anonymously, one by one, every Friday for seven weeks. This placed the action in the homes or the workplace of the receiver.

The automated telephone response repeated various quotes from songs by Evert Taube. These were dramatised in the style of National Swedish Radio’s former readings of stock market listings, such as “The wave of the pike – up by five” or “The house sparrows fly well tonight – up by seven”.

At the information desk, I answered questions and handed out flyers (folded A3 documents) about the greenhouse effect’s function, issues and potential solutions. I deliberately toned down possible dramatic scenarios. The fundamental and critical aspect of the project was that the information presented was factual and obtained from established scientific sources – such as the IPCC (International Panel of Climate Change) – and that all text was fact-checked by professionals in the field.

Click on the images for materials and techniques.