The Austrian installation, After Abundance, gave a glimpse of life in a country contending with the stark realities of climate change. “The uncertainty in facing climate change triggers fear, anger and the feeling of helplessness,” said curator Thomas Geisler. “It’s something we have little control over as individuals, but collectively we can find inventive ways to deal with these challenges.”

Visitors entered a typical Austrian farmhouse. They heard raindrops on the roof and a radio report about poisoned rain. A disassembled drone lay on the dining table, among other objects gesturing at everyday life in this speculative future. “Visitors will notice a gap in a walled-off space, a pink glow, a low hum, and the clinking of glassware hinting towards something brewing behind a closed door,” said designer Anab Jain. “A rhythm of drums and cowbells draw closer and grow louder, beastly shadows emerge and loom on the floors and surfaces.”

As the journey progressed, visitors were confronted with life-sized figures spraying water to replenish a melting glacier, while the sounds of howling wind and cracking ice echo across the space. “The installation shows how local communities face down new challenges with tradition and technology using craft and cunningness to thrive in an altered landscape,” said Jain. “We want visitors to leave with the realisation that beyond the fear caused by such turbulence, there lies hope, and an opportunity for transformative action.”