An Extended Reality (XR) installation that makes the invisible threat of harmful Algal Blooms in our seas audible and visible.
What are we not hearing? Blooms is an art-science project that asks us to pay attention to the phenomenon of algal blooms and the shifting relationships they signal between human activity and fragile aquatic ecosystems.
Algae proliferate due to eutrophication, a process where excess nutrients (from agriculture, cities, and industry) “feed” the water, creating ideal conditions for algae to thrive—a phenomenon amplified by rising marine temperatures.
The work interprets complex scientific data, sourced from satellite imagery and microscopy, to illuminate the cosmopolitan algae species found in diverse ecosystems such as South East Asia, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, and Brandenburg. At the core of the exhibition lies a microcosmic perspective that is both sensory and immersive.
The installation is a multi-sensorial Virtual Reality (VR) experience that—accompanied by a carefully designed orchestral soundscape by award-winning composer Joyce Beetuan Koh—animates the life of phytoplankton, making the invisible threat not only visible, but also audible.
The project is co-created by a multidisciplinary team: designer and artist Wendy Chua (who delves into the art-science research of coastal climate issues), designer Gustavo Maggio (specialized in novel materials and circular production systems), and award-winning composer Joyce Beetuan Koh (known for her abstract, unsentimental language). The technical collaboration with Playersjourney ensures a deep understanding of interactivity and user well-being in immersive environments.
Blooms invites us to step into the micro-scale of a macro-climatic problem, pushing us to reconnect aesthetics with ecology.
BIO
Wendy Chua and Gustavo Maggio co-founded Forest & Whale, a practice that advocates for social and environmental care. Chua is an interdisciplinary artist who collaborates with marine scientists to make invisible toxicities tangible. Joyce Beetuan Koh is an award-winning composer whose work ranges from concert music to sound installations, driven by a fascination with architectural structures and scientific theories. Playersjourney is a multidisciplinary technical team specialized in designing immersive media experiences, focusing on gamification and user well-being.
This project is part of RESILENCE: Future Soundscapes & Affect Mining in Urban Ecosystems, the exhibition showcasing the outcomes of fifteen international art residencies supported by S+T+ARTS (the European Commission’s initiative for science, technology, and the arts). Through the artistic exploration of sound, RESILENCE redefines urban spaces, using the acoustic dimension to analyze the complex affective and ecological relations of future cities and promote collective awareness of what lies beyond mere noise. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with BASE, as part of the FAROUT Festival 2025 edition.