Sun and Wind Simulacrum/Weather Record Player

For Nowcasting Alistair McClymont created two new works. The installation Sun and Wind Simulacrum was presented on site at the University's Weather Station, and involved a series of solar panels constructed by the artist to power a simple desk lamp positioned inside a portacabin. Drawn to the irrationality of attempting to simulate the weather in this way, the installation created a ‘real time’ response to weather data, amplifying the sun's power.

Moving on from this, Alistair developed Weather Record Player, a physical device that played back a years’ worth of solar and wind data gathered by the Weather Station. A small black box housed a small bulb that shone corresponding to sunlight records, whilst a fan blew to represent the wind. A day’s worth of weather was played every minute. An open source variation on the installation existed for a period online, along with a forum to discuss the process of sharing and replicating the hardware.

Alistair McClymont makes night-time rainbows, suspends raindrops in mid-air and creates tornadoes with deceptively simple machines. A UK based artist working in sculpture, photography and video, Alistair describes these as ‘phenomena’ artworks, in which he tries to capture natural, often overlooked occurrences and evoke a sense of wonder. Recent exhibitions include CAM Raleigh, US, CA2M, Madrid; Mexico Gallery, Leeds and Construction Gallery, London.