BUTTERFLY - second prize in the international art-in-architecture competition for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (EZMW) in Bonn
Peter Sandhaus was awarded second prize in the international, open art-in-architecture competition for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (EZMW) in Bonn for his sculptural proposal BUTTERFLY:
Based on 1,000 simplified weather simulations, it turns the sensitive divergence of atmospheric trajectories into a dynamic, wing-like structure. At the entrance of the MZMW, the work becomes a strong symbol and point of identification for the entire institution.
BUTTERFLY
When a butterfly flaps its wings in Bonn, it can set off a tornado in Texas. Even the tiniest impulse in the atmosphere can have enormous global consequences. This phenomenon is commonly known as the “butterfly effect.”
It was discovered by chance by Edward Lorenz – an American mathematician and meteorologist – and his two colleagues Ellen Fetter and Margaret Hamilton. They were studying a model for atmospheric convection. This model consisted of three equations for wind, temperature, and humidity.
The researchers realized that even minuscule deviations in the initial conditions could lead to completely different outcomes. This means that, due to the chaotic nature of the atmosphere, the predictability of the weather is fundamentally and severely limited – even with today’s supercomputers.
The mathematical elegance of the simulation and the fact that the generated shape is reminiscent of a butterfly with two dynamically curved wings have certainly contributed to the global popular-scientific significance of the butterfly effect.
For the sculpture BUTTERFLY, I ran 1,000 such simplified weather simulations with only minimally different initial conditions. Within the ensemble, the individual trajectories can still be traced: they start off closely aligned, but diverge sharply from one another after only a short time.
BUTTERFLY not only addresses the extremely sensitive interconnections in our planet’s atmosphere, but also its transience and uniqueness. On the one hand, the butterfly effect marks a major step in understanding these relationships; at the same time, it reveals the limits of their predictability.
By giving this milestone in the history of weather forecasting a sculptural form, the artwork creates a powerful symbol with a high degree of identification for the entire institution at the entrance of the MZMW.
Bronze casting, patinated, partially polished to a gold gloss
L x W x H
462 x 310 x 352 cm
Budget: €500,000
