Eduardo Chillida | Hauser & Wirth Somerset

Feb 23

Eduardo Chillida (1924 – 2002)

Hauser & Wirth Somerset 

26 Jun – 3 Jan 2022

Introduction

Eduardo Chillida at Hauser & Wirth Somerset was the second in a series of Hauser & Wirth exhibitions to have a carbon emissions calculation. The gallery team worked to produce an environmentally-conscious exhibition, developing an understanding of decision making involved in planning a show that took into account carbon emissions and waste. Decisions about the lifecycle and longevity of the exhibition furniture and materials were considered during the exhibition planning phases, namely: for outdoor sculpture a reusable steel plate was transported from Spain to Somerset rather than fabricating a new concrete base, all plinths were fabricated locally and two of the eleven plinths fabricated are being reused and UV film remained on windows after the exhibition closed. Digital exhibition plans were reviewed and several iterations of the exhibition layout were considered prior to agreeing to shipping artworks. This led to a more specific and tailored artwork list that reduced the number of artworks that needed to be shipped.

This exhibition’s Climate Impact Report (CIR) is published on the artist-led sustainability platform Artists Commit. Launched in November 2021, the CIR concept was created by Artists Commit. Written in November 2022, this is the second in a series of CIR’s published by Hauser & Wirth.

Hauser & Wirth’s Climate Policy

In line with the Paris Climate Agreement of the United Nations, and in alignment with the Gallery Climate Coalition commitment, Hauser & Wirth is reducing carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030. The next years are crucial in averting the worst effects of human-induced climate change and we are building sustainable practices into the DNA of our practices. To make a substantial impact and increase our understanding, we are embracing change.

Appointed in April 2021, our global Head of Environmental Sustainability, Cliodhna Murphy, oversees the implementation of the gallery’s measures to achieve our reduction targets. Cliodhna’s role is to drive the urgent actions to decarbonize and minimise waste in our daily operations. In a dedicated position, she is our internal and external spokesperson on this subject. For broad sustainability measures, we are switching to renewable energy in all locations; transitioning to LED lighting; decarbonising our energy in locations where we can control sources and lobbying our landlords to introduce more green energy into the buildings in which we operate.

Calculating our emissions has been one of our first actions. Since 2019, we have measured our Scope 1 and 2 (energy and fuel) emissions and have recently calculated our Scope 3 (flights, freight and exhibition construction) emissions. To track and reduce emissions we will introduce carbon budgets for exhibitions, identifying where we can make changes to increase our decarbonisation efforts. Our process is driven by a hierarchy of prevention, reduction and investment, using a metric-centric approach. To this end, we have enrolled in the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which will help us measure, track and monitor our reductions. We believe in transparency and share our carbon emissions as part of the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) carbon reporting tool. We support the development of a meaningful and industry-specific response to the climate emergency and we have been patrons and members of the GCC since 2020.

Exhibition Overview

As one of the foremost Spanish sculptors of the twentieth century, Eduardo Chillida (1924 – 2002) is widely celebrated for his monumental public sculptures and enduring fascination with interconnected shape, space and organic form. The exhibition invited new encounters between Chillida’s work and the unique environment of Hauser & Wirth Somerset, drawing parallels with the artist’s own vision for Chillida Leku, a public museum and sculpture park created during his lifetime that expanded the relationship between art and nature.

Installation view, ‘Eduardo Chillida,’ Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2021 © Zabalaga Leku.San Sebastián, VEGAP (2023). Photo: Ken Adlard

Carbon Emissions:

The exhibition’s carbon emissions were assessed according to Scope 1, 2 and 3 by the Carbon Accounting Company (CAC).

The exhibition coincided with a show by the artist Gustav Metzger, also at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, and emissions calculations were apportioned accordingly to each exhibition by CAC. The methodology for the exhibition emissions quantification follows the principles and methods of The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. The lifecycle emissions quantification of construction materials follows the principles of the ISO 14040:2006 Standard.

All data was collected and provided by Hauser & Wirth colleagues either directly in the data collection workbook provided by CAC, or in separately consolidated communications. While it is assumed that the data entered by Hauser & Wirth was accurate and complete, minor leakages in the Scope 3 carbon category are anticipated.

Further narrative about scope of carbon emissions:

SCOPE 1
Natural Gas: 178.8 tCO2e

40% of the site energy was generated through natural gas

SCOPE 2
On Site Energy: 20.7 tCO2e (location based) 0 tCO2e (market based)

The exhibition was open 212 days, resulting in approximately 20.7 tCO2e, which were directly due to the exhibition being on view.

SCOPE 3
Freight: 3.82 tCO2e

There was a mix of air and road freight. Air freight weighed 243 kg and road freight was 54,863 kg, distances of 5,753 and 4,273 km were travelled respectively. Air freight emissions were calculated using volumetric weight of the shipment from New York. Calculating the carbon footprint of road transport has accuracy limitations because it is not accounted for by vehicle type. The calculation includes both inbound and outbound shipments.

Employee, contractor and Chillida estate Travel: 4.17 tCO2e

A small number of short haul flights were taken from Spain as well as train and taxi transport to and from London.

Events and visitor travel: 258.53 tCO2e

Visitor travel was calculated by a post-visit survey, where there was a 60% response rate and many of the visitors also visited the concurrent Eduardo Chillida exhibition. There were 5 events that took place as part of the exhibition: they attracted 382 visitors specifically who travelled by train and car. For travel engaged by visitors to see the show, this was composed of 1,494,542 km by car, 63,280 km by rail and 0 km by air.

Exhibition construction: 1.66 tCO2e

In planning the exhibition, Senior Technician Tobias Fisher carefully considered the lifecycle of the exhibition materials so that the gallery could reuse, repurpose, recycle and only as last resort send items to landfill. Plinths used for the exhibition were fabricated by a local contractor approximately 10 miles from the gallery, to reduce transport emissions.

Waste Report

Materials used in the exhibition included: plinths (x11) and UV window film.

Reuse:

Plinths: 2 of the 11 were reused

Repurpose:

UV film has been left in situ.
Steel plate for outdoor sculpture was shipped from Spain to Somerset and is being reused

Waste disposal generated 0.012 tCO2e.

Supporting Workers

Asked our team what they need to feel supported taking climate action/completing a Climate Impact Report
Encouraged climate-minded thinking within the project team.
Considered inclusion and needs of local communities in the project.

Collective Action

Sharing a Climate Impact Report at artistscommit.com
Sharing what was learned in the Climate Impact Report to our audiences.
Asked project partners and collaborators about their climate policies, commitments, or priorities.
Learned from what other projects have done, connect with other institutions or artists to ask for advice, acknowledge them in our report.
Reached out to PACT organizations or local networks doing this kind of work.
Proposed others do a Report at the same time.
Offered to be available to advise or support other artists or presenting partners who want to do a climate impact report for the first time.
Made sure all artists we work with know that the Climate Impact Reports is an available tool.
Will use the report to refine future practices.

Additional Notes/Closing Thoughts

This is the gallery’s second Climate Impact Report conducted with the support of Artists Commit. Alongside the carbon budgets that Hauser & Wirth will generate for exhibitions in 2023, colleagues can use the CIR document as a base to consider the full sustainability spectrum of a specific exhibition. It is interesting to reflect on the impact visitor makes to the carbon impact of an exhibition and what the gallery could do differently going forward. Existing initiatives include promoting train travel, supporting the laying of a pathway to walk to and from the gallery and in 2023 electric car charging will be available for visitors.

Exhibition Info and Credits

Carbon Emissions Metrics Prepared by: Tobias Fisher (Technician/Registrar), Fili Harrington (Assistant to the Directors), Stewart Gosbee (Facilities Manager), Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Debbie Hillyerd (Senior Director, Learning);

Waste Metrics Prepared by: Stewart Gosbee (Facilities Manager) and Ross Dixon (Operations Manager); Hauser & Wirth Somerset

Sam Taylor (Senior Technician - local advice and environmental champion)

CIR Prepared by: Ian Lipton, Carbon Accounting Company

CIR Audited by: Cliodhna Murphy, Global Head of Environmental Sustainability, Hauser & Wirth

CIR Reviewed by: Melanie Dankbar (Senior Director), Julia Kelly Kennedy (Artist Liaison), Catherine Serrano (Director Artist & Estates Liaison US), Hauser & Wirth; Haley Mellin, Art to Acres

Other credits for people working on the project and/or contributing to this report:

Estate of Eduardo Chillida and Hauser & Wirth
Estela Solana (Chillida Leku); Mireia Massague (Chillida Leku)

Exhibition link: https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/33801-eduardo-chillida-somerset/

Climate Impact Report

Artists Commit