A Japanese woman is shrouding the harbourside in fog because Art

For fog’s sake

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A Japanese artist has engulfed Bristol’s harbourside in fog to raise awareness of global warming.

Artist Fujiko Nakaya created the fog installation which engulfs Pero’s bridge in the harbourside in order to celebrate Bristol’s new status as European Green Capital.

Fujiko Nakaya

Between the hours of 8am-8pm, large clouds of man-made fog descend on the bridge twice an hour.

This is what a fog installation looks like

By inviting visitors to interact with the installation, Fog Bridge challenges us to consider how climate change may affect our own lives.

The participatory element to Nakaya’s work is incredibly vigorous. Those wishing to cross the bridge are faced by fog and have no choice but to get a bit wet.

Fogging impressive

Interrupting the daily activities of walking the dog and commuting to work, entering the fog is like entering the forbidding future that climate scientists have warned us about for decades.

The responses to Fujiko’s piece have been varied in satisfaction.

Matt Nightingale told us: “You can’t stay in the fog for too long as you get sopping wet…like climate change you can’t ignore the effects that it’s going to have on the world.”

Don’t get it? Fog on then

Less sure of its meaning was Mary Stuart who said: “I was engaged but confused as to the meaning of the bridge. It didn’t say much about the environment. So what, is it going to be misty in the future or something?”

Younger audiences were also less aware of its meaning. Five-year-old Toby said: “There was a bridge…and then there was clouds…and then we ran over it again and again and again.”

It looks incredible day and night

The installation is spectacular to look at and is completely free. Fujiko Nakaya’s Fog Bridge will be in Bristol until the 22nd February.