ONE
A three year site specific installation at Lisbon Oceanarium
ONE is a cathartic journey about shared connection. A poetic ode to Life that intimately explores existence through the lens of our relationship to the ocean. A metaphor for the subtle but universal elements of the human experience that touches each person differently.
In an overstimulated world this intensely visual installation allows mind and soul to breathe. Its nuanced unfold ing can be experienced as a mesmerising and emotive flow of narrative-free moving images guiding the viewer into a state of mindful presence and wonder.
Groundbreaking approaches were used to capture motion, producing abstract forms that challenge visual perception. An unprecedented audiovisual experience designed and edited in a format more akin to a gallery exhibit than traditional cinema. Rather than merely seeing a screen, the audience is trans- ported through a canvas that acts as the window into a mystical but familiar world.
The project brings together the worlds of art, technology and natural history eliminating the division between viewer and story.
On the post production process:
https://www.halopost.com/portfolio/one-lisbon-aquarium-installation/
Artist Statement
ONE is a hero’s journey. The hero is the Ocean. The piece pays homage to the Ocean and also to those courageous individuals who live in a state of truth.
Those who, like the ocean, live in alignment with their nature.
They are in harmony with the sea because of this. They see what unites rather than what divides. A surrender to the mystery of life, They are at One with the Ocean and with themselves. There is no greater act of faith.
The ocean represents a core human state, a primal purity, an "original" fluid condition from which other things arise remaining potentially open, un-manifested and undetermined. It is the reservoir of all possibilites, preceding every form and supporting boundlessness in every creation.
Also a symbol for metamorphosis, it has the power to abolish, dissolve, purify, wash away and regenerate. Where beginning and end dissolve into one another and what we are left with is a circle that respresents life.
ONE seeks to maintain powerful symbolism within the realm of imaginative experience maintaining a strong correspondence to internal states & emotions. It therefore made sense to attempt to blur the boundaries between reality and the sub-concious.
We are linked to the Ocean physically, cognitively, and emotionally because we are manifestations of life itself and this wisdom lives in us.
In an oceanic nation like Portugal with its unique geography, the connection runs deep within the fabric of life. Its presence is as real as it’s unpredictable nature. It is a mark of national identity.
Thoughtful consideration was given to not merely objectify this profound connection, but to use the subject as a platform for a broader message that held transformational potential. A message yes about the importance of preserving this resource but also about what needs to realign deeply within us in order for this to become a reality. The story will be told using the voice of the ocean, its people and its glorious inhabitants.
A shot version of the making of can be viewed here: