The Laboratory for Microclimates

The Laboratory for Microclimates (LfM) is an art initiative of artist Annechien Meier and filmmaker/conceptual designer Gert-Jan Gerlach. LfM aims to raise awareness of urban agriculture from a climate perspective with art and film projects. With these projects, we stimulate consciousness, participation and control in social and ecological surroundings of people and enhance their influence on environment, science and nature. Our projects focus mainly on water and heat issues in the urban environment and climatic processes worldwide.

Climate related Art projects

LfM realises art and film projects focused on social and ecological microclimates. A microclimate is a small area that differs from it's surrounding area.An ecological microclimate is the climate of a small area that is different climatologically and biologically from the area around it. A microclimate can be small as a sheltered garden next to a building or moss growing on the north side of a wall. It can also be larger: urban areas themselves may also form microclimates because they are less exposed to extreme temperatures than the surrounding countryside. See 'projects', for example; Aquatic Microclimate Experience; two floating islands (one contains a desert, the other a forest landscape) in the Geumgang river near Gongju in South Korea and the BijBinnenhofpark, (probably) the smallest park in the World, right in the center of The Hague.

A Social microclimate is a concept whereby you can identify or create microclimates on a social level. For example, in areas where the environment differs because people here are actively engaging or secluding themselves; For example, a the Panderplein Project, an art project in the center of The Hague where social interaction between people greatly improved and the construction of an interactive urban agriculture project created a new communal atmosphere. LfM focuses on creating situations or activities with people who share common goals and qualities and are enabled to differentiate themselves from their surrounding environment.

LfM investigates whether art can have a positive influence on climate adaptation in society and aims to create new social microclimates, where people can be inspired and activated.

Organisation:

Artist: Annechien Meier

Film producer and conceptual designer Gert-Jan Gerlach

Engineer: Joost Suasso de Lima Prado

Researcher: Mauro Coelho

LfM Foundation board members;

President: Mr. B. E. Beuving

Secretary: Dipl. Ing. W. Klemm

Treasurer: Dr. J. W. van der Schans

Board member: Sabrina Lindeman