Rebecca Chesney

Future Kit
Ongoing project (since 2017)

*Be prepared for the future climate*

Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of climate change? Fret no more: these handy items will help protect you as temperatures rise and floods increase.
I started the Future Kit in 2017 during a residency at Montalvo in California, where I was looking at the increase of extreme weather episodes. Since then, I have continued to add items to the Kit, and will do so in the future.


Flood Stick
2m folding ruler painted with specially made paints (derived from the colour of flood water) Limited edition of 10
Part of the Future Kit, this handy folding ruler is suitable for those living alongside rivers, on floodplains or low lying areas near the coast.
Folding wooden ruler, emulsion paint, 200cm 2017


Flood Stick
Drawings each pencil and gouache on paper, 21 x 29 cm 2017


Future Mask
Offering 100% UVA and UVB eye protection.
Protection against fine dust particles, water and oil based mists.
Made from lightweight cotton fabric with full head and skin coverage to shield against sunburn.
Embroidered cotton fabric & mixed media 33 x 22 x 20 cm 2018


Future Suit
To protect the wearer from extreme weather, this suit is made from recycled, waste food packaging (crisps, snacks and biscuit wrappers).
Protection made affordable.
Food wrappers, cotton fabric, height 150 cm 2021




Future Fans (series of 4 paper fans)
Waft yourself cooler in rising temperatures with one of these hand crafted paper fans. All are made with cuttings from Austrian newspapers and recycled covers from secondhand books (for the fan veins), held together with a chopstick and wire.
Each highlights a different subject connected to climate change: the car industry, meat farming, the financial markets, and one showing the current weather. All were made during a residency at Kunstmeile Krems, Austria in 2026.


Future Fans
Collaged newspaper cuttings, book covers, chopstick, wire. Each 32 x 50 x 2 cm (max dimensions) 2026


Elements of the Future Kit have been exhibited in a number of exhibitions: Halberstadt Biennale (2018), Oriel Myrddin Gallery (2019), Leicester University (2022), Newlyn Art Gallery (2023) and Dorman Museum Middlesborough (2025). Image above shows my Flood Stick, Future Suit and Future Mask on show in Storm Warning at Newlyn Art Gallery in Cornwall in 2023.

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