A multi-disciplinary artist with a background in scenic design, Kelly Nunes has dedicated much of his work to creating holistic, responsive environments. For Age of Union in Montreal, Nunes took things one step further with a series of 5 interactive artworks aiming to catalyze climate action.
Earth Room, Sun Room, Moon Room, Glacier Cave, and Black Hole Room tap themes of care, emphasizing the therapeutic impact of nature immersion and addressing the evolving discourse on healing and well-being. In response to the contemporary disconnection from the outdoors, Nunes’ series nurtures reconnection with nature’s healing qualities.
As Age of Union founder Dax Dasilva articulates, “Each space transcends conventional boundaries, compelling us to reassess our relationship with the environment, unlocking the intrinsic value of nature and igniting a collective call to conservation action.”
Moving between each work, visitors are propelled to envision pro-environmental and conservation activity integral to Age of Union’s mission.
Glacier Cave
Sensations of being within a cracking and thawing glacier are rendered with a play of post-consumer plastics, responsive lights and soundtrack. Ice structures’ ancient and mystical qualities intertwine with their symbol of global warming.
Earth Room
A live plant garden and post-consumer paper structures immerse visitors in earthly creature poses complemented by spatialized sounds of isochronic tones, proven to lower stress hormones and relieve anxiety symptoms.
A collaboration with Nicolas Fonseca.
Moon Room
A close encounter with our primary cosmological symbol, a four-foot diameter sphere displays a rotating projection of the moon, enabling new perspectives and sensations of reverence and diminutiveness.
Sun Room
This collaboration with Adam Hummell is a functional room for healing and meditation featuring a modulating light frequency sculpture, accompanied by Seasonal Affective Disorder lamp fixtures and a soundtrack tuned to therapeutic 432 hertz.
Black Hole Room
Drawing from the physics of black holes, and the profound transcendent effect they play on our collective consciousness, a multi-modal projection supports generative video content driven by audio input and body tracking.
While certain pillars of the series embody and situate audiences in earthly contexts (Sun Room, Earth Room, Glacier Cave), others stand as reminders of the importance of reflection and humility in the fabric of something much more vast than ourselves (Moon Room, Black Hole Room).
Nunes’ series invites a discourse around conservation and degradation through the materials it is composed of—like post-consumer plastic, reconstituted waste paper, and real vegetation.
Full immersion in each piece spurs visitors to reflect on nature’s evolving need for conservation by bestowing its most present force: The power to heal.
Photography by Clara Lacasse.
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