Thermal Mass was an exhibition developed for the 2017 Seoul Biennale, on display September 2 – November 5, 2017. The exhibit responds to a prompt to identify first where the imminent urban commons are and how to reconstruct them as instruments of devolution and ecological awareness, constructed transversally across technologies and resources. The curators constructed four ecology commons—air, water, fire and earth. 

Exhibition Concept
"The thermal mass of soil has profound implications for landscape design in the coming decades. As the second largest carbon sink on Earth, soil's ability to retain heat or release it into the atmosphere plays a significant role in the overall temperature of the planet. Furthermore, as urbanization continues, an inherent conflict will arise between the increase of impermeable surfaces and the amount of arable land able to absorb heat, compounding the issue of global warming. This exhibit considers the significance of soil's ability to store thermal mass, and the impact it will have upon the lives of the plants and people. By juxtaposing scenarios of plant migration and urban expansion as global warming continues, visitors will be given a space to contemplate the role that thermal mass and soil play in these situations. The immersive qualities also ask visitors to consider the experiential implications that subterranean forces have on daily urban life."

client

Seoul Biennale

location

Seoul, South Korea

TEAM

Stoss