The Changing Ocean

At Bergen Aquarium, Aurora Vortex led the curation, concept development, design, scriptwriting, and creative direction of The Changing Ocean — a permanent immersive installation that takes visitors on a journey beneath the ocean’s surface through 360-degree visuals and sound-led storytelling.

Developed in collaboration with Bergen Aquarium, researchers, and technical specialists, the installation translates marine research into a spatial and emotional experience. Moving from coastal waters to the deep sea nearly 3,000 meters below sea level, the work invites visitors to encounter the ocean as a living and vulnerable environment shaped by both natural forces and human activity.

A central theme of the installation is sound: how marine life depends on acoustic perception, and how human-made noise can alter life below the surface. By combining wonder, disturbance, and hope, The Changing Ocean is designed to deepen ocean literacy and strengthen the connection between people and the sea.

The Changing Ocean – Case Study

Project Name: The Changing Ocean

Commissioner and Location: Bergen Aquarium, Norway

Opening Date: 3 May 2024

Project Overview

The Changing Ocean is a permanent 360-degree immersive installation at Bergen Aquarium, created as a tool for ocean communication and public engagement. Through moving image, sound, and spatial storytelling, the project communicates the state of the ocean, the richness of marine life, and the growing impact of human activity below the surface.

Rather than presenting research as isolated facts, the installation translates marine science into an experience that can be felt, followed, and remembered.

Concept and Purpose

The project was developed as a science-based communication experience that makes ocean knowledge more accessible to broader audiences. It invites visitors to encounter the ocean not as an abstract topic, but as a living system shaped by ecological relationships, industrial pressure, restoration efforts, and still-unknown forms of life.

The installation was designed to:

  • communicate marine research through immersive storytelling

  • strengthen ocean literacy and public understanding

  • reveal how sound shapes life below the surface

  • show both damage and restoration in the ocean environment

  • create reflection on the relationship between humans and the sea

Immersive room

The Experience

The installation takes visitors from Bergen’s city fjord to the continental shelf, down into the deep sea at nearly 3,000 meters, and back up into the water column. Along the way, it brings together marine life, underwater habitats, scientific observation, and examples of human impact.

Visitors encounter themes such as pollution and restoration, bottom trawling, underwater noise, coral ecosystems, deep-sea exploration, and whale communication. In this way, the experience becomes not only a visual journey, but a guided encounter with the changing ocean and the knowledge needed to understand it.

The ROV, Ægir6000 in view

Development and Collaboration

The project was developed through close collaboration between Aurora Vortex, Bergen Aquarium, researchers, and technical specialists. Aurora Vortex shaped the overall concept, narrative, and visitor journey, while scientific and technical partners helped ground the experience in research and realize it as a permanent public installation.

  • Scientists and Researchers: A full reference list is here.

  • Technical Experts: Rebel Unit (CGI), Avistas (tech.),  Yngve Sætre (audio).

  • Funding Partners: Agenda Vestland, GC Rieber Funds, Bergen Municipality.

Impact and Reception

  • Engagement: More than 250,000 visitors have been immersed in the experience since its launch.

  • Viral Reach: A short reel showcasing The Changing Ocean went viral on Instagram, garnering nearly 7 million views. (LINK)

  • Education and Debate: Sparked discussions on marine sustainability and human responsibility.

Conclusion

The Changing Ocean demonstrates how immersive storytelling can function as science communication in practice. By combining marine research, spatial experience, and emotional resonance, the project helps audiences understand both the vulnerability of ocean life and the urgency of rethinking how we interact with the sea.

Beyond Bergen

The project has also reached audiences beyond Bergen through its VR popup edition, presented at the BBNJ Symposium at Museu do Amanhã, Rio de Janeiro, 10–12 March 2026, followed by an invited presentation at UERJ. These presentations demonstrated how the work can be adapted to new formats and shared in international scientific and educational contexts.

“We must act now – together, we can preserve
the oceans for future generations.”

Work with Us

Are you interested in creating an installation that combines science, technology, and art to engage audiences in new ways?

Contact us at Aurora Vortex Studio. Let’s explore the unknown together.