"Heat BLOOMS” by Art for Public Good. (Matt Conti photo)
Art Installation’s Flowers ‘Bloom’ In Extreme Heat To Indicate Danger Of Our Warming World
When temperatures top 85 degrees, the flowers of “Heat BLOOMS”—a new art installation in Cambridge’s Harvard Square—bloom, like a visual thermometer warning of extreme heat. Three consecutive 85-degree days or hotter are considered a high alert danger by the Cambridge Public Health Department.
“Heat BLOOMS” is one of three temporary, innovative, public artworks that will be on display in Cambridge this summer as part of the City of Cambridge’s
Shade Is Social Justice program. The installations provide shade and seating across the community to further Cambridge’s efforts to address our warming world.
Visit “Heat BLOOMS” in Brattle Square, on Brattle Street, in Harvard Square. It's designed by the Western-Massachusetts collective called
Art for Public Good, comprised of Carolina Aragon, Brynya Ablamsky, Nikolas Dombrowski, and Grace Kirkpatrick.
The artwork’s flowers are made from a smart memory alloy wire, which remembers its original form: the “open” position. As the wire cools down it softens and the weight of the petals partially “close” the blooms.
"Heat BLOOMS” by Art for Public Good. (Matt Conti photo)
This summer, the Shade Is Social Justice program has also reinstalled “Sun Block,” designed by Gabriel Cira and Matthew Okazaki, to bring shade to Cambridge’s Jill Brown-Rhone Park in Central Square until this fall. An additional installation is expected to arrive at Hoyt Field later this month.
The Shade Is Social Justice program helps Cambridge adapt to global warming by strengthening our climate resilience and preparedness. It uses the power of art and design to shape perception, stimulate discussion of the challenges, and find solutions. Cambridge’s additional climate efforts include an ordinance requiring large commercial buildings to eliminate the use of fossil fuels by 2035, an electric vehicle charging program, and improving infrastructure for bicycle and bus transportation.
Shade Is Social Justice was initially funded by a $100,000 Accelerating Climate Resiliency grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The City of Cambridge has identified additional funds to increase the number of artists and sites. The budget includes mitigation funds from New England Development, the developer of CambridgeSide.
A call for designers was announced in spring 2023. A panel of community members selected five winning designers from 18 applicants from the region based on past work and interviews with the candidates.
Remember, hot weather and extreme heat can cause serious illness and can even be life-threatening. Seeking shade and staying hydrated can help you cool down during extreme heat. For more cooling resources, see
Cool, Safe Cambridge.
The “Heat BLOOMS” team worked closely with the Harvard Square Business Association and the Cambridge Public Health Department.
Shade Is Social Justice is led by Claudia Zarazua, Arts and Cultural Planning Director for the City of Cambridge, and Lillian Hsu, Cambridge Arts Director of Public Art & Exhibitions. The project team includes staff from multiple Cambridge departments: Cambridge Arts, Community Development Department, Office of Sustainability, the Department of Public Works, and the Public Health Department. The project team is part of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s regional Resilience Community of Practice, which supports grantees, advances better practices, and reduces barriers to progress.
