London - Designed by interaction studio Marshmallow Laser Feast, We Live in an Ocean of Air is a multi-sensory VR installation that underlines the connection between plants and humans.
Visitors to the installation wear sensors that monitor both their heart and breathing rate in real-time. With each exhale, oxygen and carbon dioxide particles are made visible within the VR ecosystem, becoming vibrant illustrative clusters. These particles subsequently interact with a giant sequoia tree, the largest living organism on the planet, to demonstrate our dependence on organisms beyond ourselves.
‘Humanity’s dependence on the natural world is absolute, placing the audience in the centre of these ecosystems, we aim to bring them closer to an understanding of our interconnectivity,’ explains Ersin Han Ersin of Marshmallow Laser Feast.
The synaesthetic stimulation created, in this instance, by a combination of wind, scent and binaural allows visitors to experience a new form of consciousness. For more, explore Experience 2020.