Earth Speakr: Speak Up for the Planet
Olafur Eliasson sought to create an impactful art project that would engage children globally in the climate change conversation. The goal was to empower young voices, allowing them to express their concerns directly to politicians and decision-makers, fostering a sense of agency and collective action.
Creative Idea
Kids used AR to personify nature, giving voice to climate messages for leaders.
Earth Speakr empowered children to voice their climate concerns by using augmented reality to make trees talk and skies cry, transforming abstract environmental advocacy into a playful, direct, and shareable platform that delivered their messages to global leaders.
Giving the Planet a Voice Through Kids
A Global Choir of Talking Objects
The project achieved massive scale, generating over 35 million impressions and 450,000 app downloads. What began as a European initiative quickly evolved into a global movement, with kids from over 100 countries recording messages in more than 70 languages. This resulted in over 2.5 million messages being heard by adults and decision-makers, including 2,000+ minutes of user-generated video content.
The Technology of Personification
Developed by AKQA Copenhagen, the app utilized advanced AR facial tracking and 3D mapping to "transplant" a child’s eyes and mouth onto any physical object. This tech allowed kids to personify everything from banana peels to puddles and trash cans. While children aged 7 - 17 were the sole creators, adults were strictly relegated to the role of "listeners." They could use the Loud Speakr feature to collect messages into AR clusters and virtually place them at political landmarks like the Reichstag in Berlin to demand attention from leaders.
From Art to Political Policy
The campaign functioned as a formal part of the German EU Council Presidency’s cultural program. This integration meant that children’s messages were not just social content; they were streamed directly at the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. High-profile figures like Ursula von der Leyen, Al Gore, and Jaden Smith engaged with the platform, cementing its status as a benchmark for Art-as-Activism. To ensure longevity, Studio Olafur Eliasson released educational toolkits, turning the AR experience into a curriculum for schools and museums worldwide.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Earth Speakr leveraged an artist's vision and cutting-edge AR technology to create a unique platform for youth environmental expression.
Category
Environmental advocacy often relied on adult-centric, serious, and abstract communication, failing to directly engage younger audiences effectively.
Customer
Children felt a strong desire to contribute to climate solutions but lacked an accessible, creative, and impactful way to voice their opinions.
Culture
A global surge in youth climate activism and widespread smartphone adoption created fertile ground for an interactive, digital advocacy tool.
Company
Earth Speakr leveraged an artist's vision and cutting-edge AR technology to create a unique platform for youth environmental expression.
Category
Environmental advocacy often relied on adult-centric, serious, and abstract communication, failing to directly engage younger audiences effectively.
Strategy:
Empower a disempowered audience through playful, accessible technology to drive meaningful social and political dialogue.
Customer
Children felt a strong desire to contribute to climate solutions but lacked an accessible, creative, and impactful way to voice their opinions.
Culture
A global surge in youth climate activism and widespread smartphone adoption created fertile ground for an interactive, digital advocacy tool.
Strategy:
Empower a disempowered audience through playful, accessible technology to drive meaningful social and political dialogue.
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
The campaign created a functional app that served as a direct tool for children to express their environmental concerns. This utility empowered users, making the platform itself the message and the means of delivery.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Gamification
Gamification made complex environmental issues accessible and fun for children, encouraging participation by turning advocacy into an interactive game. This playful approach fostered creativity and engagement among young users.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its effective use of Public Speaking and its precise, engaging Editing, both of which work together to underscore the intellectual rigor and emotional weight of the debate.
Krithi Joshi's delivery is compelling, blending scientific facts with emotional appeals, and effectively uses rhetorical devices and well-timed humor to engage and persuade her audience.
The editing expertly uses cuts between wide shots, medium shots, and close-ups to maintain audience engagement, highlighting reactions and emphasizing key moments of the speech without distracting from the content.
