Nature Keeps Score

by Michaela Tracey-O'Connell

Date: Oct 17 – Oct 30Space: Small Gallery

Nature Keeps Score: The Climate Emotion Spectrum

Nature Keeps Score is a participatory design project exploring the emotional impact of climate change. Using bark, painted tree rings, and pressed flora, it transforms climate emotions into tactile, visible experiences. Five interwoven works from global data visualised through tree rings to a radial painting of climate wins, invite people to move through emotion, not around it. Grounded in climate psychology, data humanism, and kaitiakitanga, the project blends reflection and regeneration. Community workshops helped shape the work, and native trees were planted in response. It asks: What emotions does climate change stir, and how might they shape what’s next?

Michaela Tracey-O’Connell is an artist and graphic designer based in Napier, New Zealand. With over a decade of experience across local government, agencies, media, and independent projects, she works at the intersection of visual storytelling and purposeful design.

Completing her Master of Design in 2025 gave Michaela the opportunity to delve deeper into subjects she cares about, environmental care, climate psychology, mental health, and the role of design in community connection. Her practice blends conceptual thinking with tactile, handcrafted processes, creating work that invites people to slow down, reflect, and engage in meaningful conversations.