As a society, often when it comes to the big topics of life, starting a conversation is an important first step. Now, in 2025, the topic of our climate, seems to be dominating many of those conversations. However, navigating the delicate and monumental topic of the climate can be an intricate task to undertake. 

Despite the challenge, the opportunity to create a unique piece, as part of Creative Ireland’s Crumlin Climate Action Project, was not something artist Sarah Bracken Soper was going to turn down. 

Today, across society people find themselves facing a plethora of challenges: from housing to unemployment, health care to the cost of living. Therefore, it is understandable that when people endure struggles at a community level, often issues on a global scale fall down their list of priorities. Sarah states, “It is important to note that the fight for climate action starts locally, you can’t expect someone to care about global issues if they have problems on their own doorstep.”

With this in mind Sarah went door to door at Seagull House, interacting with the local community and prioritising their voice when laying the foundations for her artistic creation. Furthermore, this approach allowed Sarah to create a mural with both depth and meaning, commenting on the impact of climate change, especially when we consider the emotional, physical and mental strain it puts on many.

The climate crisis is a huge worry for all generations, however, Sarah goes further and describes this as a “burden” that has been placed on the shoulders of future generations. In fact, featured in the mural are two young children holding up the weight of the world. 

The two children, named Conan and Lucy, modelled  for the mural, which replicated the classic pose of Atlas, who carried the world on his back. Metaphorically this is striking as it reflects the weight of the world and its future, which many believe has been thrown to the younger generations to tackle. 

The mural is engulfed by metaphors and symbolism including: the puddle to show a waste of resources and use of oil alongside the dripping earth, which has been consumed by heat. The clothing worn by Conan and Lucy, despite being their own items, are also loaded with symbolism. Sarah describes how the army print of Conan’s clothing indicates the potential for global conflict in the future as resources become limited, whilst the leaves on Lucy’s leggings suggest a threat to the beauty of our natural world. 

One thing that strikes me are the facial expressions of the two children, which seemingly reflect the two outlooks we can adopt towards the climate crisis. Conan, who Sarah describes as being more “confronting” in his expression juxtaposes with the “hopeful” look of Lucy. This can be considered as thought-provoking as it forces you to question our reality, a reality which can be quite frightening and often gloom in the wake of our changing climate. 

This dual aspect is something that was considered throughout the project. For example, with this in mind, Sarah tried to create a space, which was both educational and safe for children throughout this project. The workshops curated not only allowed Sarah to pose questions to our younger generations but also provided her with first hand accounts of how they see their world and the climate crisis currently engulfing it. In fact, within the mural, you will find words, which have been abbreviated following a comment from Conan, who spoke with wisdom beyond his years when he said, “we only have one planet and we only have one life”.

This innocent sentence from Conan, appears almost indicative of our planet and its innocent, fragile state, which needs to be protected. Whilst at times it may seem that our efforts to be climate conscious are in vain, projects such as these show that there are whole communities also playing their part and opening up to the big conversations of the day. Artists like Sarah are utilising their talents and showcasing their craft in order to spark conversation, and hopefully action around the climate. 

‘The Weight,’ perfectly encapsulates the power of art, and its ability to transcend language, in order to resonate with each of us at a foundational level of human experience.