We installed NO NEW WORLDS in Glasgow for the duration of COP26, to face the delegates from its site on the Govan Graving docks
In November 2021, the critically important COP26 took place in Glasgow. With the eyes of the world on the Clyde, Still/Moving with the support of Clyde Docks Preservation Initiative (CDPI) installed an unmissable statement right in front of the delegates and the world’s media, on the site of the Govan Docks, directly opposite the main COP delegate zone.
NO NEW WORLDS is a 70m long sculpture made of over 3000 energy efficient LED bulbs. It was installed in Plymouth in 2020, commissioned to mark the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower.
The artwork scrolls through nine randomly generated iterations formed from the huge letters, stating NO, NO WORLD, NEW WORLDS, NO NEW WORLDS... the words calling for us to cherish this world.
As the reality of the environmental threats we face become ever clearer, it is critical that we constantly question the myth of infinite growth on a finite planet, with the exploitation and extraction that has brought us to this pivotal ecological moment.
The ever-shifting phrases illuminate the links between climate change and the ongoing process of colonisation, inviting viewers to ask difficult questions about themselves, the legacy of colonialism and its relation to our damaged planet.
The lights were switched on by Nicola Sturgeon and Panchita Calfin on Saturday 30th October 2021, and remained lit till 14 November 2021.
For more info contact info@stillmoving.org
NO NEW WORLDS, as glimpsed from the Media Centre at COP26.
One of the best views of this sculpture, the words silently demand the attention of scurrying journalists and harried editors meeting deadlines.
Thanks to Andy Sewell for the photographs
HOW to see NO NEW WORLDS @COP
the nine iterations
The sculpture was built on the quayside at Govan’s historic Grade A-listed dry docks, right next to the COP Green Zone and opposite the Blue Zone. This site was where hundreds of ships that served the British Empire were once built and repaired. Set within the conflicting legacy of this site, the installation's reflection shimmered in the water, facing the delegates and the city beyond.
Originally commissioned to be part of the Mayflower 400 Commemorations the structure was installed on Plymouth's Mountbatten Breakwater in 2020.