As Above, So Below is a transdisciplinary project and research program, created in collaboration between One Ocean Foundation and curatorial collective ZEITGEIST19.

The project encompasses a podcast, curated talks, artist residencies, a physical traveling exhibition and a digital interactive multimedia archive, and it is focused on biodiversity, ocean conservation and planetary well-being; intersecting art, science and ecology.

As Above, So Below has been nominated for the prestigious global environmental prize and platform for impact The Earthshot Prize, recognized as an Ocean Decade Action by the United Nations and proud member of UNESCO’s Blue Thread.

From May 9 to June 8, 2026, As Above, So Below will also take shape as a Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

Curated by Elizabeth Zhivkova and Farah Piriye Coene from ZEITGEIST19, the exhibition will take place in the former Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian on the island of Giudecca, transforming the historic space into an immersive environment for contemplation and ecological reflection.

At a moment of increasing environmental instability, the project proposes the ocean not as a distant entity but as a living system through which to perceive planetary transformations. The sea thus becomes an active archive that preserves the Earth’s deep time, sustains biodiversity, and reflects the delicate balance between technological acceleration and ecological limits.

Drawing inspiration from the Hermetic principle of correspondence—As Above, So Below—the exhibition explores the connections between cosmos and Earth, atmosphere and abyss, human and more-than-human, revealing how the state of the ocean is one of the most sensitive indicators of planetary imbalance. Through immersive installations integrating sound, light, and computational systems, the architecture of the former church becomes a place of resonance between scientific observation, cultural memory, and artistic imagination.

Artists and Works

The Collateral Event brings together seven international artists and collectives whose practices span installation, sound, moving image, and artificial intelligence:

• Marshmallow Laser Feast presents Seeing Echoes in the Mind of the Whale, an immersive audiovisual installation based on whale vocalizations and bioacoustic research, inviting audiences to explore the sensory world of cetaceans.

• Antoine Bertin, with Fish String Theory, investigates marine intelligences through the soundscapes of the Venetian lagoon and the mysterious sound of the Mediterranean stone fish. The work emerged from a residency initiated by One Ocean Foundation and ZEITGEIST19.

• Yoko Shimizu presents Tides of Light: Meadows of the Abyss, an installation inspired by bioluminescence, developed during a residency aboard a research vessel, using plankton as a fragile indicator of planetary balance.

• Almagul Menlibayeva, with contributions by Suad Gara, presents Water Older Than the Sun (Caspian), a multimedia installation on the ecological collapse of the Caspian Sea, accompanied by the short film Requiem for the Caspian.
• Andrea Crespi presents a new commission: a holographic vitrine evoking the mythological figure of Thetis within a primordial jellyfish, creating a threshold between natural data and archetype.
• Orkhan Mammadov uses artificial intelligence to visualize fungal networks above and below the soil, making perceptible the invisible communication systems of nature.
• Elnara Nasirli, with Whispering Forest, translates the bioelectrical signals of an olive tree into sound through human contact, highlighting the reciprocal relationships between organisms and their environment.

→Discover more about the project

As Above, So Below residency program is based on a fundamental principle - to enable insightful periods of research and interdisciplinary exchange between artists, marine researchers, scientists and thinkers in the Mediterranean Sea. The residency is centred around the major themes of biodiversity and ocean conservation, restoration of our ecosystems and rethinking our relationship with nature.

By engaging with ocean research both day and night, from the surface to the depths, the selected creatives - Japanese bio-artist Yoko Shimizu on the board of ONE catamaran during M.A.R.E. project and French sound artist Antoine Bertin on Giudecca island in the Venetian lagoon with SerenDPT - are going to transform scientific findings into a captivating artistic experience under the theme As Above, So Below.

As Above, So Below includes a digital extension: an innovative platform designed to share knowledge, sources, insights, and inspiration. Its vision is to foster literacy and drive positive change through the transformative role of digitalisation and new technologies in advancing sustainable development.

At the heart of the project is the creation of a pioneering digital infrastructure that brings together contemporary art, ocean literacy, and sustainability practices. With the support of Particle.art, the first prototype of this living and interactive digital environment has already been developed. Conceived as a dynamic and ever-evolving space, the platform will host digital exhibitions, educational content, and collaborations with cultural and scientific institutions worldwide.