Art+Fog Collective
A collaborative project led by Jennifer Parker, Peter Weiss, and Anja Ulfeldt. Formed in 2024, the collective explores fog, its potential for harvesting water from the sky, and reimagines public art as a space for community learning about the importance of fog to coastal ecosystems. Together, the team combines diverse expertise to conceptualize and realize fog-related projects at UC Santa Cruz in partnership with OpenLab, FogNet, interns, and volunteers. The project is supported by the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience, the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS), and the CITRIS Workforce Internship Program.
Our work spans sculpture, digital media, science, and community collaboration. We draw inspiration from fog’s ephemeral nature to reimagine how public art can become a living system of education and care. By deconstructing infrastructures like climate monitoring, water catchment, and environmental policy, we open new stories about resilience, reciprocity, and our shared futures. Each project offers a point of entry, an invitation to see, sense, and shape the world differently.
Harvesting Water from the Sky (in progress), a research and public art initiative exploring fog as a source of water and inspiration. This CITRIS-supported working group investigates local flora and fauna through field research, augmented reality (AR), and public art. More info Here
FogWatchers (summer 2025), Collecting Fog Data one image at a time using social media to invite the public to share their Fog Pictures and Videos to help map California Fog. More info Here
Art+Fog Exhibition at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center (May-October 2025). Developed by the Art+Fog Collective, the exhibit blends sculpture, environmental science, and DIY design to reveal how fog can be a vital water source in a changing climate. More info Here
FogSonification (summer 2025) translates weather data into music using real measurements of cloud cover, sunlight, and daily solar cycles. The system transforms patterns in the sky into three-part musical compositions. More info Here
Gathering Cloud (2024) Inspired by the ethereal shapes of clouds, Anja Ulfeldt, UCSC OpenLab visiting Artist-in-Residence, creates a groundbreaking sculpture. More infor Here
FogTree (2024) Blending Science and Art to Build Climate Resilience in Coastal Communities. More info Here
ABOUT
The collective is made up of artists, designers, makers, engineers, scientists, and community builders drawn together by a shared commitment to place-based inquiry and creative experimentation. We develop public art projects that explore fog as a vital ecological force and a poetic medium for collective engagement. While we are grounded in scientific partnerships and technological experimentation, our approach resists the impulse to resolve complexity. We value uncertainty, wonder, and curiosity. Through participatory installations and hands-on research, we invite others into spaces where observation and play replace conclusions, where questions emerge instead of answers.
UCSC Student participants
Chloe Barnard
Brandon Wong
Arlo Reilly
Catie Bonte
Aarushi Kumar
