Insidious Rising
Explore the cascade effects of climate warming on humans, symbolised in the melting of a glacier.
Insidious Rising is a mobile-first, data-driven web experiment commissioned by Google Arts & Culture and built with a Three.js/WebGL approach in response to the 2019 IPCC report. Developed during the pandemic, the project explores ecological cascade effects—how accelerated warming, cryosphere thaw, and rising sea levels intertwine to destabilize ecosystems, potentially unleashing everything from prehistoric viruses trapped in melting ice to the cascading disappearance of crops and pollinators.
As creative directors, we collaborated with creative technologists to design an interactive 3D animated visualization that guides users through these interconnected climate futures. Produced by Claire Brooks, the project brought together Hyphen-Labs, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Cabbibo, Simo, and Iñupiaq artist and poet Allison Akootchook Warden to create a tactile experience grounded in climate science and Indigenous knowledge.
Users begin at one of three entry points—cryosphere thaw, rising sea levels, or accelerated warming—and navigate the fragile balance of Earth’s systems through touch. By revealing how one disruption triggers many, Insidious Rising invites audiences to understand the planetary consequences of climate change and the urgency of protecting our living world.
Data sourced from the UN’s IPCC Special Report.
Support by: Google Arts & Culture
Team: Hyphen-Labs, Isaac Cohen, Romy Gad el Rab, Commuzi, Clare Brooks, Allison Akootchook Warden, Simo Santavirta, The Workers, The Union of Concerned Scientists, Valeria Ippolito, Dorothy Santos
