Climate Change, Change Climate

Anyone walking down Northampton's Guildhall Road this January may have noticed the bright and bold spinning street sign bearing a message 'CLIMATE CHANGE' or perhaps 'CHANGE CLIMATE'.

The sign is one of a series of Early Warning Signs by Glasgow-based artist Ellie Harrison. NN Contemporary Art is one of four venues across the UK hosting the signs throughout 2015. The rotating sign can be seen outside the front windows of NN during opening hours as it responds to the shifting weather conditions.

About the project:

This on-going project was initiated at Two Degrees Festival in 2011 to 'promote' the issue of climate change and the consequences of excessive consumption. Mimicking signs you might find outside a garage or Bureau de Change, the bright and bold signs are trying to grab the attention of passers-by, but instead of trying to sell you something they are placed there as a playful yet stark reminder of the consequences of excessive consumption.

Each year, four new host venues are invited by the artist to 'adopt a sign', agreeing to keep it on public display for the following year. Fellow host venues this year are Spike Island in Bristol, The Tetley in Leeds and GoMA in Glasgow.

For more information about the project please ask for a leaflet at the front desk or visit Ellie Harrison's website: www.ellieharrison.com/earlywarningsigns

About the artist:

Ellie Harrison was born in London in 1979, currently based in Glasgow (UK). She studied Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University, Goldsmiths College and Glasgow School of Art, where she undertook a Leverhulme Scholarship on the Master of Fine Art programme.

Ellie Harrison was shortlisted for the Converse/Dazed 2011 Emerging Artists Award. In 2014 she has also been associate artist at GoMA in Glasgow and produced a new commission for Edinburgh Art Festival as part of the Generation programme. In 2012 Harrison established the National Museum of Roller Derby during a residency at Glasgow Women's Library.

Her Early Warning Signs can now be found around the UK at four host venues and her Vending Machine can be seen in London as part of the public collection at the Open Data Institute.

About NN Contemporary Art:

NN is a contemporary art space in the centre of Northampton.

For further information about NN visit: www.nncontemporaryart.org

Opening times:
Wednesday–Saturday 11am–6pm
Sunday 2pm–5pm
Free admission

NN is supported by:
Arts Council England
Northampton Borough Council
Northampton County Council
University of Northampton