The Sea Within is an immersive art installation that places audiences inside the ocean, standing eye to eye with whales at life-size scale. Using ultra-high-resolution footage filmed in Tonga, transformed through advanced visual effects and sound design, the work recreates the overwhelming experience of being in the presence of these giants - their song resonating through the body, their ancient knowledge made visible as living light.

At its heart, the project explores intergenerational grief and resilience. Whales once hunted to near-extinction in the Pacific carried forward their migratory knowledge through song, a survival of culture against unimaginable loss. This mirrors human experience: the inheritance of grief, silence, and resilience across generations. My grandmother was among the 732 Polish children who arrived in New Zealand as refugees in 1944. Her unspoken trauma shaped our family, and in the whales’ resilience I found a mirror for that inheritance. The Sea Within weaves these personal and collective histories together.

The work also reflects knowledge generously shared in Tonga, where whales are seen not only as animals but as kin, bound to the oceanic journeys of people and ancestors. It draws from both Pacific and scientific perspectives, highlighting the whales’ annual song-sharing, a cultural exchange that carries precious migratory wisdom.

Like my previous works Antarctica - While You Were Sleeping and Amazon - Raised Up Sky, The Sea Within blends art, science, and technology at monumental scale. It is an artwork that invites audiences to experience the unseen emotions we carry, a space for recognition, resilience, and connection to the living ocean.