In October 2021, Nesta and National Gallery X (The National Gallery and King’s College London) launched a unique creative opportunity to develop an experience that helps catalyse a zero-carbon future, inspired by one of the greatest collections of art in the world. We called it HOME-zero.

Nesta and National Gallery X want to support the creation of a compelling experience to highlight the significance of household emissions. We want the experience to have an impact beyond the gallery’s walls and to help amplify media and public interest in climate change and the impact of household emissions. When it goes public in 2022, this work will contribute to a popular movement to help make our homes cleaner and greener.

The six creative teams shortlisted for the next stage are:

Fast Familiar - an interdisciplinary collaboration of people from theatre, facilitation and creative computing who make participatory, playful & political art works to explore complex issues

Happy Finish - a creative production agency working at the intersection of content design, emerging technology, and immersive storytelling

Love Ssega - a community action group based on improving the pollution levels around London’s South Circular

Makers of Imaginary Worlds - Nottingham-based installation artist and design studio making immersive art for young audiences

Megaverse - a new digital collective based in Sheffield using digital arts to create interactive experiences

Studio Above & Below - a technical and creative studio in London that creates work to build connections between humans, machines and the environment

Each of the shortlisted applicants have been invited to develop a final idea to pitch to a selection panel selection panel from Nesta, National Gallery and King's College London in December. Two pitches will be selected for a public vote (to run in January), with the final commission awarded to the pitch that gains the most public votes.

As part of the pitch development process, creatives attended a one-day ideas session in London to help develop their ideas. Each creative team received input and expertise from Nesta, the curators at The National Gallery, academics from King’s College London and audience and digital professionals from National Gallery.

HOME-zero is part of Nesta’s sustainable future mission, which aims to significantly reduce the amount of pollution from homes in the UK. Shortlisted applicants and their creative works should help to mobilise the public and foster a shared responsibility for the role we all have to play in reducing the pollution caused by the energy we use in our homes.