New Exhibition Transforms Climate Data into Living Light Sculptures

HOFA Gallery announces the launch of Specimens of Time: Spectrum, a new sensory installation by Lumen Prize winning artist Maja Petrić that transforms real-time environmental data into luminous sculptures that pulse, shimmer and fade in sync with the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems.

Running between 15–28 May in London, the exhibition invites audiences to experience the fragile beauty of the planet’s most pristine ecosystems, from the Swiss Alps to the Coral Triangle in the South West Pacific Ocean, revealed through an extraordinary fusion of art, technology and live environmental data.

Specimens of Time: Spectrum is an AI-driven installation, comprising four luminous sculptures, each representing a different natural environment: radiant sunlight, alpine snow, vibrant coral reefs and ancient temperate rainforests. Translating real-time climate metrics into immersive lightscapes, the exhibition’s evolving sculptures — powered by air pollutant  levels and ocean temperature data — turn abstract threats like coral bleaching and glacial melt into visceral, pulsating experiences that make ecological loss feel deeply personal.

Mirroring one of the world’s most preserved temperate rainforests, this sculpture reacts to real-time temperature data collected by six National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) across the Olympic Peninsula. Shifting hues — from cooler tones to warmer reds and oranges — trace the subtle but profound impact of rising temperatures on this ancient biome, exposing its fragile ecological future.

A meditation on glacial retreat, the sculpture’s brightness, brilliance, and opacity fluctuate with the seasonal snowpack data. As temperatures rise, the sculpture’s brightness fades, with emerging shades of brown mirroring the retreat of the snowpack.

Capturing the pure, unfiltered essence of the sunlit sky over Mauna Loa, this sculpture dynamically responds to real-time air quality data gathered by the Hawaii State Department of Health from 16 monitoring stations. As air pollution levels rise, the sculpture’s yellow and red rays of light turn green, symbolising the erosion of pristine skies.

Specimens of Time: Coral Triangle – Southwest Pacific Ocean 

Depicting the vibrancy of one of Earth’s most pristine underwater landscapes, this piece reacts to the live data from NOAA Coral Reef Watch, its projections reddening as sea temperatures rise, visualising the bleaching of Earth’s most biodiverse marine habitat.

A tribute to nature’s untouched splendour and a visceral warning of its fragility — Specimens of Time: Spectrum crystallises fleeting ecological moments that are rapidly disappearing. The installation doesn’t just document loss; it makes audiences feel the weight of disconnection and the urgent need to preserve our remaining sanctuaries.

Powered by custom software developed with computer scientist Mihai Jalobeanu, Petrić’s sculptures shimmer, shift, and pulse, in real time, mirroring the planet’s accelerating rhythms. Using projection, diffraction, and optical materials, the works create the illusion of infinite depth, embodying the delicate balance of ecosystems under threat.

The exhibition  features nine works, a curation of sculptures and lenticular prints exploring the themes of light, perception and environmental change.

Maja Petrić, says: "I created Specimens of Time: Spectrum as a way to hold onto what is slipping away. As I witness the disappearance of pristine landscapes, I feel an urgency to preserve their memory—not through documentation, but through sensation. Each sculpture captures the fleeting essence of a fragile ecosystem, transforming data into light, into presence, into remembrance. These works are my way of bearing witness to what we are losing, and of asking others to feel it too—before it fades beyond recovery."

Specimens of Time: Free and open to the public daily. 

Dates: 15–28 May 2025 (closed 26 May 2025). 

Times: Monday-Friday 10:00-19:00, Saturday 11:00-19:00 & Sunday 12:00-18:00. 

Press Preview: 10.00–13.00, 14 May 2025. VIP Preview: 6.00–9.00, 14 May 2025. 

Venue: HOFA Gallery, 11 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 6PY 

Emma-Louise O’Neill 

emmalouise@thehouseoffineart.com / +44 7515 136909

Founded in 2012, HOFA Gallery (House of Fine Art) represents contemporary painters, sculptors, photographers and multidisciplinary new media artists from all over the world including China, Korea, United States, Italy, France, Argentina and Australia amongst many others. Since its inception, HOFA has provided government institutions, museums, art galleries and private collectors access to some of the most sought-after works of art.

Since 2018 the gallery expanded its reach beyond the contemporary art program, curating a series of highly acclaimed new media public art installations and immersive exhibitions; growing the artist portfolio in the generative Ai space, exploring the relationship between human and machine collaboration and its interaction with nature.

Maja Petrić is a contemporary artist who has been creating installations and sculptures using light and advanced technology since 2001. Her work explores the deep interconnection between human existence and nature, pushing the boundaries of new media to evoke these connections viscerally.

She has exhibited internationally at venues such as MadArt Studio, FOR-SITE, Henry Art Gallery, and Farol Santander. Her work has been commissioned by National Geographic, SEATAC Airport, Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Landmark Hong Kong. She received numerous awards, including the Lumen Prize for Art and Technology, the Microsoft Research Art Residency, the Richard Kelly Light Art Award, and a Doctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

Maja's work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, BBC, Fast Company, FRAME Magazine, The Seattle Times, and Deutsche Welle. By collaborating with computer scientists to develop custom new media, her work has also been recognized in scientific publications and conferences, including NeurIPS, ISEA, and ICCV.

She holds a Ph.D. in Digital Arts and Experimental Media from the University of Washington and a Master's from the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.