Apr 11, 2024
Neptune's Abyss
During the upcoming Milan Design Week, One Ocean Foundation unveils an immersive installation to reflect on the importance of the sea, its resources and all its potentialities.
One Ocean Foundation presents Neptune’s Abyss, an immersive exhibition exploring the profound interconnection between human being and the ocean. Through the photographic film and sound work of the multidisciplinary artist Yu Lin Humm, this exhibition sheds light on the rising ocean temperatures, complemented by One Ocean Foundation’s documentary “Blue Forest”, which highlights the vital role of Posidonia oceanica, also known as Neptune’s grass, and the Foundation’s efforts in marine reforestation.
Neptune’s Abyss advocates for a blue revolution, spreading hope and offering large-scale solutions to tackle the main contemporary environmental challenges, catalyzing new tides of change.
The installation – conceived and curated by Elizabeth Zhivkova – will make its absolute debut at:
The installation will also feature an immersive solo cello live show by Yu Lin Humm. Performance dates:
Neptune’s Abyss embodies an apneic approach to reality, prompting us to pause and reflect. Yu Lin Humm’s soundscapes and visuals beckon the human imagination into the enchanted forest of the Seas, a world more mysterious than the moon—a new dimension, a new perspective—plunging deep into the abyss of the unknown, both externally and within the inner space of our subconscious. Here, one must surrender doubts and fears—an act of faith—ultimately discovering the beauty, strangeness, and awe of that place, a world as real and integral to the universe as our own. While rooted in the artist’s personal mythology and meditative process, it also draws from sources such as the myth of Neptune—the God of the Sea and archetype that ignites the sacred fire, guiding us to reconnect with our inner primary source and sense of unity.
The immersive exhibition is slowly curated and designed using the most sustainable possible means of creation, utilizing and implementing innovative living and breathing biomaterials, seeded with microalgae that consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis, alongside biodegradable paper crafted from algae.
Life in all its wonder emerged from the ocean and depends on it. Marine forests, in particular, play a fundamental role in capturing carbon dioxide, producing oxygen through photosynthesis, and creating a rich biodiversity hotspot.
One Ocean Foundation's commitment towards the protection of marine forests is supported by the ‘Blue Forest’ project and an international Ocean Foresting campaign, to promote the activation of multiple reforestation activities worldwide, alongside research and educational initiatives to raise awareness of the importance of these ecosystems. The project is particularly focused on the largest effort to protect and restore the marine forests of Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica) in the Mediterranean Sea, an extremely delicate and fragile basin with unique ecological characteristics, where this plant finds its exclusive habitat. Posidonia oceanica is an endemic plant that forms extensive marine forests and plays a fundamental role in the ecosystem, comparable to terrestrial plants.
Neptune’s Abyss involves showing a short documentary produced by the Foundation on the comprehensive reforestation process activities in the Mediterranean Sea.
Yu Lin Humm is a composer, musician and visual artist born and raised in Milan, Italy. Her work is mainly focused on creating immersive experiences merging music, science and visual arts to open the senses to the natural world we belong to.
