A PACE immersive experience
Objective
WAVE: From Space to Ocean is an immersive, interactive artwork that invites audiences to interact with data from NASA’s new PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite through their own physical gestures. The piece consists of a scalable installation of a series of five interactive projections, each showing different data-driven artworks that can be explored and manipulated by visitors in real time through where they step, the touch of their fingers, and the motion of their hands.
The work engages ocean science through the space-borne observations and hyperspectral imaging of the NASA PACE mission, by encouraging intuitive exploration of PACE data and imagery, work has already engaged over 30,000 people through the space-borne observations and hyperspectral imaging of the NASA PACE mission.
By accessing these connected elements through playful, gestural interaction, we hope to foster a larger dialogue about the interdependence of ocean ecosystems and the role humans play in maintaining their balance.
CREATIVE TEAM: Mollye Bendell, Myungin Lee, Ian McDermott, Jun Nishida, Samuel Walter Crawford, Ruth West
SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL TEAM: NASA PACE Satellite team, University of Maryland Immersive Media Design students, University of North Texas capstone students.
Venues
Presented in partnership with the Kennedy Center, NASA, University of Maryland and University of North Texas, the installation premiered in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center in March 2025.
Stay tuned for updates on where the installation travels to next.
Contact
For more information, contact Sara Blumberg, PACE Communications Lead, [email protected]
Caption for header image: UMD students helped create “Wave: From Space to Ocean,” an interactive installation displayed at the Kennedy Center in spring 2025. Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle/University of Maryland, College Park.