S TOR I E S TO ACOMPANY

TH E E XH I B I T I ON

C L O U D S

O F A

C H A O T I C

S K Y

CLAIRE PENDRIGH

SA LAMANCA ART S CENTRE

RA I N

T h e s m a l l c e r a m i c v e s s e l s i n m y r a i n c l o u d

a r e m a d e w i t h l o c a l l y d u g c l a y a n d w e r e

f i r e d “ p r i m i t i v e ” s t y l e i n m y W e s t H o b a r t

g a r d e n .

S u p e r c o o l e d w a t e r d r o p l e t s s u s p e n d e d i n

t h e a i r a s c l o u d s , n e e d s o m e t h i n g t o

c o n d e n s e t o b e f o r e t h e y c a n f a l l a s r a i n .

T h i s n u c l e u s i s o f t e n a p a r t i c l e o f d u s t o r

e a r t h , c a r r i e d i n t o t h e s k y b y t h e w i n d .

W h a t h a p p e n s i n t h e s k y a n d w h a t h a p p e n s

o n t h e e a r t h a r e i n e x t r i c a b l y l i n k e d .

W h a t g o e s u p , m u s t c o m e d o w n .

THE F I R S T C LOUDS

E a r t h , M a r s a n d V e n u s w e r e b o r n o f t h e

s a m e b a t c h o f f i r e b a l l s . M e t e o r i t e s

b o m b a r d e d e a r l y E a r t h ’ s m o l t e n s u r f a c e ,

r e l e a s i n g w a t e r a n d s l o w l y c r e a t i n g c l o u d s .

W h e n t h e a s s a u l t s l o w e d a n d t h e e a r t h

c o u l d f i n a l l y c o o l , t h e f i r s t r a i n s s e e p e d

i n t o t h e e a r t h , f i l l i n g t h e c r a t e r s , c r e a t i n g

a q u i f e r s , o c e a n s , r i v e r s a n d s e t t i n g t h e

s c e n e f o r t h e f i r s t f o r m s o f l i f e .

V e n u s b e c a m e t o o h o t f r o m a r u n a w a y

g r e e n h o u s e e f f e c t , i t s w a t e r v a p o r i s i n g .

M a r s , o n c e a w a r m w e t w o r l d , b e c a m e t o o

c o l d - a f r e e z e - d r i e d d e s e r t . M u c h l i k e

G o l d i l o c k s ’ p o r r i d g e , E a r t h i s j u s t r i g h t ,

b u t t h e b a l a n c e i s p r e c a r i o u s a n d t h e v o i d

b e h i n d o u r a t m o s p h e r e i s n o t h o s p i t a b l e .

J U P I T E R AND I O

I n t h e s t o r y o f J u p i t e r a n d I o , t h e R o m a n

g o d J u p i t e r ( o r Z e u s i n G r e e k ) d i s g u i s e s

h i m s e l f a s a c l o u d , r o l l i n g a c r o s s t h e f i e l d s

i n p u r s u i t o f t h e m o r t a l w o m a n I o .

I w a n t e d t o r e - i m a g i n e t h e s t o r y t o t a k e

p l a c e i n a T a s m a n i a n a l p i n e l a n d s c a p e -

t h e v i e w e r t a k i n g t h e p l a c e o f I o , l o o k i n g

o u t t o a n o m i n o u s b a n k o f c l o u d s f u l l o f

m a l e v o l e n t e n e r g y .

A BU T T ER F L Y F L A P S I T S WINGS

THE WE I GH T OF A C LOUD

T h e b u t t e r f l y e f f e c t i s t h e i d e a t h a t a s m a l l

c h a n g e i n i n i t i a l c o n d i t i o n s c a n r e s u l t i n

l a r g e d i f f e r e n c e s i n a l a t e r s t a t e ( a

b u t t e r f l y f l a p s i t s w i n g s c r e a t i n g m i n o r

p e r t u r b a t i o n s , u l t i m a t e l y i n f l u e n c i n g t h e

f o r m a t i o n o f a h u r r i c a n e ) .

T h e P t u n a r r a b r o w n b u t t e r f l y i s a

T a s m a n i a n e n d e m i c s p e c i e s l i v i n g i n n a t i v e

g r a s s l a n d s a n d g r a s s y w o o d l a n d s . L o s s o f

h a b i t a t h a s c a u s e d t h e n u m b e r o f t h e s e

b u t t e r f l i e s t o d e c l i n e , a n d t h e y a r e n o w

l i s t e d a s v u l n e r a b l e .

T h e w a t e r d r o p l e t s i n a t y p i c a l C u m u l o u s

w e i g h a b o u t a s m u c h a s e i g h t y e l e p h a n t s .

E a c h t i n y d r o p l e t i s h e l d a l o f t b y

c o n v e c t i o n c u r r e n t s , o n l y f a l l i n g a s

p r e c i p i t a t i o n w h e n n u m e r o u s d r o p l e t s s t i c k

t o g e t h e r a r o u n d a p a r t i c l e o f d u s t o r f r e e z e

i n t o h e x a g o n a l c r y s t a l s o f i c e , f i n a l l y

b e c o m i n g h e a v y e n o u g h t o f a l l a s r a i n .

WEATHER MAG I C

A 1 4 8 6 G e r m a n w o o d c u t i n a p a m p h l e t t i t l e d

“ W e a t h e r M a g i c ” d e p i c t s a g r o u p o f w o m e n

g a t h e r e d a r o u n d a c a u l d r o n o u t o f w h i c h

b u r s t s s t o r m c l o u d s , r a i n d r o p l e t s a n d

r a d i a t i n g c r e p u s c u l a r r a y s .

I n m a n y w a y s , o u r l i v e s , o u r w e l l - b e i n g a n d

o u r v e r y e x i s t e n c e c a n b e h e l d r a n s o m b y

t h e w e a t h e r . T h e r i s e a n d f a l l o f

c i v i l i s a t i o n s h a v e c o i n c i d e d w i t h p a t t e r n s

o f c l i m a t i c s h i f t .

I t h i n k t h a t ’ s w h y a l m o s t e v e r y c u l t u r e

i n c l u d e s s o m e a s p e c t o f w e a t h e r

m o d i f i c a t i o n , w h e t h e r i t ’ s t h r o u g h r a i n

m a k i n g c e r e m o n i e s , w e a t h e r w i t c h e s , o r

s e e d i n g c l o u d s w i t h s i l v e r i o d i n e .

T h e w o m e n i n t h a t w o o d c u t w o u l d h a v e

s u f f e r e d a t e r r i b l e f a t e i n t h e w i t c h t r i a l s

o f t h e D a r k A g e s , b u t t h a t w o u l d n ’ t h a v e

f i x e d t h e h e a v y r a i n s , e p i d e m i c s a n d c r o p

f a i l u r e s p l a g u i n g E u r o p e a t t h e t i m e . I n

t r u t h , t h e w o r s t o f t h e w i t c h p e r s e c u t i o n s

l i n e d u p w i t h t h e w o r s t d e c a d e s o f t h e

L i t t l e I c e A g e , a f i v e c e n t u r y l o n g c l i m a c t i c

s h i f t o f d a r k w e a t h e r .

C LOUD   S YMBO L S

ALTOSTRATUS,

THICK

ALTOCUMULUS,

SPREADING FROM CUMULUS

ALTOCUMULUS,

TUFTS OR TURRETS

ALTOCUMULUS,

OF A CHAOTIC SKY

CIRUS, FILAMENTS,

HIGH CLOUDS

CIRUS, DENSE,

PATCHES, TUFTS

CIRUS, FILAMENTS,

ANVIL SHAPED

CIRRUS, HOOKE-SHAPED

THICKENING

CIRROSTRATUS,

NOT INCREASING

STRATUS AND/OR

FRACTOSTRATUS

FRACTOSTRATUS,

FRACTOCUMULUS

ALTOSTRATUS,

THIN, SEMI-TRANSPARENT

CIRROSTRATUS,

VEIL COVERING SKY

CIRROCUMULUS

CIRRUS AND CIRROSTRATUS

OVER 45 DEGREES

CIRRUS AND CIRROSTRATUS

NOT 45 DEGREES

STRATOCUMULUS,

SPREADING FROM CUMULUS

STRATOCUMULUS,

NOT FROM CUMULUS

CUMULUS, LITTLE

VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT

CUMULUS AND

STRATOCUMULUS

CUMULUS,

CONSIDERABLE DEVELOPMENT

CUMULONIMBUS,

CLEAR-CUT TOPS LACKING

CUMULONIMBUS,

CLEAR TOPS

ALTOCUMULUS,

THIN, SEMI-TRANSPARENT

ALTOCUMULUS,

THIN, PATCHES

ALTOCUMULUS,

BANDS THICKENING

ALTOCUMULUS,

DOUBLE-LAYERED

PREC I P I T A T I ON S YMBO L S

SQUALL

PRECIPITATION NOT

REACHING THE GROUND

PRECIPITATION LANDING 

FAR FROM STATION

PRECIPITATION LANDING

NEAR STATION

SHOWERS RAIN SHOWERS

MODERATE OR HEAVY

RAIN SHOWERS

VIOLENT

HAIL

SLIGHT SHOWERS OF

SNOW PELLETS

SLIGHT SHOWERS

OF HAIL

SNOW ICE PELLETS

HAZE LIGHT FOG

HEAVY FOG SLIGHT RAIN,

INTERMITTENT

SLIGHT RAIN, 

CONTINUOUS 

DRIZZLE MODERATE RAIN,

INTERMITTENT

MODERATE RAIN,

CONTINUOUS

HEAVY RAIN,

INTERMITENT

HEAVY RAIN,

CONTINUOUS

PRECIPITATION

DURING THE PAST HOUR