Climate projections show that within the next few decades the U.K and Northern Europe are very likely to experience huge problems with food insecurity, extreme weather, and resource scarcity. Yet with data and projections alone, it is difficult to imagine how these consequences of climate change will alter our lived experiences. As they go about the drudgery of daily life, we have found that most people are at a loss as to how to translate the intangible data strewn across climate graphs and charts into tangible, sustainable action. For a complex phenomenon like climate change, philosopher Timothy Morton uses the term hyperobject: something with spatial and temporal properties beyond the cognitive and theoretical grasp of the human mind.

Mitigation of Shock (London, 2050) is our attempt to make the size and complexity of a hyperobject like climate change tangible, relatable and specific. Following extensive research and prototyping, as well as interviews with experts from NASA, the UK Met Office and Forum for the Future, we built an entire future apartment situated in the context of climate change and its consequences on food security. People could step inside this family home and directly experience for themselves what the restrictions of this future might feel like. Instead of leaving visitors scared and unprepared by the challenges of this world, we shared methods and tools for not only surviving, but thriving there.