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Schmilz, schmilz, Baby!

Aggro Climate x Ars Electronica Futurelab

Speculative Design Study, 2024

If climate grief doesn't lead us anywhere, what can we do? 

"Schmilz, schmilz, Baby!" is a thought-provoking campaign on glacier retreat in Austria by the activist artist group Aggro Climate. By the end of the 21st century, Alpine glaciers are expected to lose 91% of their surface area and 94% of their volume. According to the Austrian Alpine Association, the glaciers in our country will melt within the next 40–45 years. 

Through an Ideas Competition as part of the “Schmilz, schmilz, Baby!” campaign, citizens were asked not for ideas on how to preserve the glaciers—as that is sadly a lost cause anyway—but what to do with the free space once the ice is gone. 

Aggro Climate’s mission is turn up the heat on possibilities because a melted glacier isn’t just water; it’s a pool of opportunities waiting to be explored.  

In June 2024, the artist group took a field trip to Austria’s largest glacier, Pasterze, to capture its current state. During this trip, a video documenting the glacier retreat was produced, where the melting of the glacier could be audio-visually captured. This video laid the foundation for the competition, as Aggro Climate brainstormed ideas for events and happenings that could take place at a post-glacial Pasterze in the future. 

The centerpiece of the campaign is an AI-powered website, where citizens were invited to generate and submit their ideas for life after the glaciers melt. In July 2024, the activists launched a speculative AI storytelling tool and kicked off the competition at a release event in partnership with Innovation Hauptplatz in Linz. There has been also a booth at the Ars Electronica Festival 2024 in the Open Futurelab to engage directly with participants. 

After receiving many creative and critical submissions on the future of the glaciers, Aggro Climate announced the winning idea of “Schmilz, schmilz, Baby!” at the Ars Electronica Futurelab Night Performances. The winning idea, Schönbrunn x Alpenkitsch by Anouk Reiterer, proposes building a second Schloss Schönbrunn, Austria’s most famous tourist attraction, on the Großglockner grounds. The concept ensures flourishing tourism, economic growth, new jobs, and housing for next generations, as well as potential international media attention if a new royal family next to William, Kate, Harry and Megan is casted. 

The campaign embraced irony, flipping and reversing expectations, and pushing ideas to the absurd, all while encouraging public participation. These strategies helped Aggro Climate experiment with a new way of communicating about climate change—via a ‘Happy Collapse Communication’ strategy. 

This project is not just about recognizing one great idea; it is about exploring creative approaches to tackling and radically accept the challenges of climate change. 

Credits:
A Project by Aggro Climate
Alexandre Bezri, Denise Hirtenfelder, Nicolas Naveau, Maria Pfeifer

Supported by: Ars Electronica Futurelab
Special Thanks: Innovation Hauptplatz Linz
Video: Reinhard Zach
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