Underwater HOA Elevation Yard Sign in front of Xavier Cortada’s studio indicating that it is 8 feet above sea level, 2018

Elevation Yard Signs display a home’s elevation above sea level to catalyze conversation and action around the climate crisis. Distinct from traditional political or “for sale” signs, the ambiguous elevation numbers pique the curiosity of neighbors, friends, and family. Each sign also features Xavier Cortada’s Antarctic Ice Paintings, conceptually bringing Antarctica’s melting ice to the doorsteps of coastal residents as a stark warning of what will come without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.

Underwater Elevation Sculpture (Hard Positive), 2023

Sustainable concrete

Xavier Cortada is creating a permanent interactive art installation of sustainable concrete elevation sculptures across all of Miami-Dade County, Florida’s 200+ parks. Anyone who scans the sculptures’ QR codes can discover their own home’s elevation above sea level and pick up a free Elevation Yard Sign to put in their front yard, thereby joining the county-wide installation and raising awareness in their neighborhood.

The Cortada Foundation is activating the site-specific sculptures by hosting educational programming and ceremonial performances. At each dedication event, the artist leads participants, one at a time, in pouring seawater from Biscayne Bay over the sculpture. In this ritualistic process, everyone commits to do what they can so that moment will be the last time saltwater makes contact there.

Designed to stand the test of time, these art pieces will outlive their own accuracy, their numbers staying fixed while the elevation of their locations gradually declines. The sculptures also aim to generate exposure for sustainable concrete as a climate solution, helping the cement and concrete industry accelerate its decarbonization.

The Underwater Elevation Yard Sign (Front & Back), 2023

Printed yard sign

The initiative’s latest iteration, The Underwater, encourages people to paint or draw their elevation on top of an Antarctic Ice Painting background. Their elevation then sits alongside a QR code that invites others to find their elevation. The back of the sign prominently features Cortada’s ‘6’ drawing, chosen because the accompanying QR code reveals a projection of what 6 feet of sea level rise would look like in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

Underwater HOA: Original Drawings, 2018

Graphite on paper

In developing his Underwater HOA project, Xavier Cortada created stylized numbers to map the elevation of a community above sea level and help people understand how climate change impacts them personally. The black-and-white numbers seek to call attention to the measurable data that can be quantified in a world of misinformation and ideological divides. Using gestural drawing, Cortada created bold, organic numbers to bring a personal and welcoming element to the climate change conversation. The swirls and expressive markings could also be seen as the varied pathways on the journey to building a home and family. These elements come together to form a number that measures the vulnerability of the very structure where life happens.

Underwater Gulf: Bradenton, FL; Mobile, AL; Biloxi, MS; New Orleans, LA, 2022

Acrylic on printed yard signs

During the summer of 2022, Xavier Cortada mapped the Gulf Coast by placing elevation markers at city halls in four coastal states—Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana—depicting their elevations above sea level. By doing this at places where city officials make decisions about municipal budgets, land use, planning, and zoning, Cortada made visible the threat that sea level rise poses to each city’s future tax base.

Underwater HOA DIY Elevation Yard Sign, 2018

Paint on repurposed political sign

Participants in the original Underwater Homeowners Association either installed yard signs with pre-printed numbers, or repurposed political yard signs by painting them white, drawing their elevation, and adding a final blue wave at the bottom to represent the rising seas. By encouraging people to transform old, often polarizing campaign signs, Xavier Cortada aimed to transcend political divides and foster a sense of unity, effectively turning symbols of contention into beacons of shared commitment.