SEE-WAVES
Echoes of the Unseen
BEYOND THE HORIZON
S+T+ARTS Aqua Motion Residency
INOVA+ | Viana do Castelo City Council | Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo - proMetheus and AditLab
The ocean is speaking. But most of us... can't hear it.
This project reveals the invisible
—
Not by explaining it, but by letting it be felt. It makes the presence of absence visible.
LOCATION
We’re based in Viana do Castelo's S+T+ARTS hub.
Where the mountain meets the sea and the ocean's pulse meets human rhythm, See-Waves emerges as a bridge between water, vibration, light and the deep sense of community.
Turns complex invisible data into emotional, living Art.
SEE-WAVES
Sensory and symbolic bridge
- between the Ocean and the People
- between the scientific and the poetic
- between data and feeling
See-Waves is an interactive sculpture that aims to transform underwater sound, temperature, and pollution data from the Atlantic Ocean into a living, multisensory installation. The project aligns with the Aqua Motion Residency's goals by making marine data tangible, perceptible, and emotionally engaging. It connects citizens to oceanic processes via visual, auditory, and vibrational interfaces, directly supporting the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters."
Designed to be low-barrier, emotionally resonant, and aesthetically compelling, the See-Waves welcomes audiences regardless of age or educational background.
RESIDENCY KICKOFF
OCTOBER 2025
Driving Force
Our
Partners
We are deeply grateful to collaborate with these institutions and organizations, whose presence and support allow us to move forward, transform ideas into reality, and carry our projects beyond what we could achieve alone.
Thank you!
European Union
INOVA+
CÂMARA MUNICIPAL VIANA DO CASTELO
S+T+ARTS
WestSEA
LOCAL EVENT
The local event constituted the first public opportunity for the artists involved in the STARTS residency to present their early-stage prototypes to a broader audience, including the general public, WIL consortium members, host organisations, and representatives of local institutions.
The event was held at CMIA on 10 February 2026, serving as an initial dissemination moment for the research and prototyping activities developed during the first phase of the residency.
Research Development
SEE-WAVES is currently undergoing an iterative development process that combines sculptural prototyping, material experimentation, environmental data processing and resonance-based fluid systems.
The project advances through cycles of experimentation where each prototype functions simultaneously as an artwork, scientific instrument and environmental interface.
This research phase investigates how oceanographic data streams can be translated into vibrational structures in water, allowing planetary processes to manifest as visible and audible phenomena.
The development is structured across four main research domains.
System Architecture
The SEE-WAVES installation operates as a hybrid digital-physical system connecting environmental data sources with sculptural resonance instruments.
The system architecture is composed of four main layers.
Data Acquisition
Environmental data is collected from oceanographic monitoring networks and satellite systems.
Current data streams include:
• wave height and swell direction
• tidal cycles
• wind intensity
• sea temperature
• pollution indicators
Datasets are retrieved through marine data infrastructures such as:
• Open-Meteo Marine Forecast API
• Sentinel-2 satellite imagery
These sources allow the system to continuously monitor ocean conditions and feed real-time parameters into the installation.
Data Processing
Incoming datasets are processed through TouchDesigner, a node-based visual programming environment widely used in interactive media systems.
Within this computational framework, ocean parameters are translated into dynamic variables that control:
• vibration frequency
• sound synthesis
• light intensity and colour temperature
• fluid excitation behaviour
This computational layer converts environmental measurements into a behavioural language for the installation.
Water Resonance Experiments
The behaviour of water surfaces under controlled vibration forms a central area of investigation.
This research draws on the scientific field of cymatics, which studies pattern formation in fluids exposed to oscillatory forces.
Foundational research in this field includes:
• Ernst Chladni (1787) — vibration patterns in solids
• Michael Faraday (1831) — surface wave instability in fluids
• Hans Jenny (1967) — geometric pattern formation in vibrating liquids
When a fluid surface is excited at specific frequencies, it produces standing wave structures known as Faraday waves.
The SEE-WAVES experiments investigate:
• frequency thresholds producing stable pattern formation
• interaction between multiple vibration sources
• influence of bowl geometry on wave interference
• visual projection of fluid patterns through reflected light
These experiments transform water surfaces into dynamic oscillation displays driven by environmental data.
Resonance Actuation
The processed signals are transmitted to a series of physical actuation systems embedded within the sculptures.
These systems include:
• electromagnetic vibration exciters
• spatial audio transducers
• LED lighting arrays
The exciters drive the water surfaces contained in the sculptural bowls, producing standing wave patterns and interference geometries.
The installation therefore operates as a responsive ecological interface linking ocean dynamics and human experience.
Sculptural Prototypes
Several prototypes are currently under development to test different resonance behaviours and structural configurations.
The sculptural bodies are designed to perform three simultaneous functions:
-
structural container for water resonance bowls
-
acoustic amplifier for vibration systems
-
Geopolimer stone base
The prototypes investigate:
• bowl geometry and depth
• vibration transmission through stone structures
• stability of cymatic patterns in water surfaces
• light reflection and pattern projection onto architectural surfaces
These experiments aim to determine optimal proportions capable of producing stable wave interference structures.
Data Pipeline
SEE-WAVES contributes to the emerging field of data physicalisation, where abstract datasets are translated into tangible physical behaviour.
In the installation:
numerical data → vibration frequencies → water pattern formation.
This process converts environmental information into direct sensory experience.
Visitors perceive ocean dynamics not through visual graphs but through:
• water movement
• acoustic vibration
• spatial light patterns.
Material Research
A major component of the project involves the development of experimental geopolymer stone composites.
The PineWave formulation combines:
• stone powder
• quartz sand
• kaolin clay
• alkaline silicate binders
Geopolymers were first described by Joseph Davidovits in 1979 as inorganic polymer materials capable of forming highly durable stone-like structures.
Compared with conventional Portland cement, geopolymers offer:
• significantly reduced CO₂ emissions
• high chemical stability
• strong compressive strength
• long-term environmental durability
Material tests currently focus on:
• curing behaviour and structural resistance
• acoustic transmission properties
• water impermeability and capillarity
• compatibility with vibration systems
These studies aim to produce large-scale sculptural bodies capable of operating as resonant mineral instruments.
Related works
Sublimatio is an artistic installation that emerges from the explorations and research developed within the framework of the SEE-WAVES project. While conceptually rooted in the same investigations into water, resonance, and environmental perception, this work stands as an autonomous piece — an independent presentation that extends and deepens those inquiries in a distinct spatial and experiential form.
Conceived as a site-specific installation, Sublimatio inhabits the interior of the Church of the Convento de Cabanas, where the architecture, atmosphere, and historical layers of the space become integral components of the work itself.
Within this context, the installation transforms the sacred interior into a field of subtle movement, reflection, and resonance, allowing the research themes developed in SEE-WAVES to unfold through a new sculptural and sensory configuration.