How do we demonstrate that even a small contribution can have a big impact in the fight to reverse global warming? We developed an installation that showed people the positive effects of their contribution, just as they made them. One that, at first, features water dripping from an iceberg. But when someone made a pledge or a small donation with their mobile phone, the drops of water would immediately reverse, seemingly defying the laws of gravity. This mesmerizing experience was made possible by way of stroboscopic motion technology that could only be activated by a mobile device. It is the first time the technology has ever been used to such effect.

The installation was made with a combination of strobe lights pulsing at extremely high frequencies, and a water pump, pre-programmed to control the rate of water drops. By adjusting these pulses of light, we could determine how the water appeared to move. People were invited to reverse the effects of global warming by using their mobile phones to make a pledge or a small donation via NFC or QR code. Doing so triggered the pulses of light to change its frequency, so that the water appeared to “reverse”. It is the first time an outdoor installation has used stroboscopic motion to such effect.

Originally deployed at one of Sydney’s busiest districts, the overwhelming response over three days meant that it toured other major cities like Singapore and Munich, culminating to the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, where world leaders gathered to discuss the biggest challenges facing our environment.

Over the course of 6 months, the project managed to collect a total of 370,000 pledges from the public as it toured Sydney, Singapore and Munich. The installation garnered approximately 12 million online impressions, with videos, gifs and boomerangs most heavily shared by those on the ground. The word of mouth on social media resulted in an 18% spike in visits to the Reverse Global Warming Project and Save the Arctic websites, constituting a significant portion of the petition numbers. Most crucially, supporters, activists and world leaders—such as Executive Secretary of United Nations Monique Barbut and Uganda State Minister for Environment Mary Kitutu—welcomed our installation at the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany; which saw 20 countries coming together to form an alliance to accelerate climate protection.