what’s news Roca Gallery “Planet(a) Tuvalu”, a country sinking into the sea The exhibition, organised by the We Are Water Foundation, shows the dramatic consequences of global warming in Polynesia The Roca Lisbon Gallery inaugurated the Planet(a) Tuvalu exhibition in January, organized by the We Are Water Foundation, which shows a series of photographs that aim to alert the world population to the consequences of global warming and the associated rise in sea levels. The photographs, by Raquel Fortuna and David Valentim, show the daily lives of the inhabitants of Tuvalu, a Polynesian country located between Hawaii and Australia and condemned to extinction due to the rise in the level of the sea. Tuvalu is the second lowest country in the world, after the Maldives, and another example of the great paradox of climate change: the nations which generate least pollution are those that suffer the consequences most. Photographs showing the country’s customs. Tuvalu, located in the Pacific Ocean near Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji, consists of four coral reefs and five atolls with a population of little more than 11,000 inhabitants. Affected by cyclones and global warming which increases sea level, half of its population has had to move to other countries. Although, for the moment, the status of “climate refugee” does not exist, this may change in the future, as some inhabitants of this small country are ready to go as far as the international courts to fight for the right. The photographs in the exhibition show the traditions, culture, habits and customs of the inhabitants who live with the extreme effects of climate change. The objective is to show the negative consequences of many of our daily habits and how the planet is transformed by our irresponsibility toward the environment. Exhibitions organised during the first six months of 2016 Planet(a) Tuvalu What’s next? The materials which will shape From 2 Feb to 21 May the future Organised by the We Are Water Foundation, “Planet(a) Tuvalu” is an exhibition of photos showing the daily lives of the inhabitants of Tuvalu, one of the smallest countriesFrom 2 June to 22 October in the world and condemned to extinction by the effectsThe “What’s next” exhibition, organised by Materfad, the of global warming. It is situated only three metres aboveBarcelona Materials Centre, presents the latest in new sea level and in recent years, the water has risen morematerials, including fabrics and fibres, high-performance than 20 cm, flooding some of the houses and plantations.polymers, advanced compounds and nanomaterials, and The photographs show the traditions, culture, habitsshows how they have been used successfully by designers and unique customs of the inhabitants, who live with theand architects and in experimental work by schools, extreme effects of climate change. universities and research centres. The objective of the exhibition is to explore how society is being transformed by the use of these advanced materials. 16