FESTIVAL IZIS
INSTALLATION

Beneath Mirror Waves is an interactive installation that merges ecology, art, and technology. At its core stands the Japanese oyster (Crassostrea gigas), a non-indigenous species in the northern Adriatic, understood as a sensitive agent of marine change and a bearer of both material and behavioral memory. Sensors attached to living oysters record the rhythms of their opening and closing, which reveal their physiological state and, indirectly, the conditions of the marine ecosystem. These rhythms are translated into a visual and sonic language that brings imperceptible processes beneath the sea surface closer to human experience.

The installation takes the form of a sculptural body onto which the visitor reclines in a swimmer’s posture. At the head of the structure, a screen unfolds the visual narrative, accompanied by headphones and bass vibrations that connect the human body to the rhythms of the oysters. Beyond this data layer, the project includes a material dimension: discarded oyster shells are transformed into new artistic materials, condensing environmental responses into form, texture, and rhythm.

The project asks how artistic practice can become a tool for documenting and interpreting ecological instability. It creates a resonant space of interdependence, where humans breathe in the rhythm of oysters and where non-human memory flows into human experience.

Marko Vivoda is a Slovenian artist, producer, and researcher, active primarily as curator of the IZIS festival and artistic director of the HEKA laboratory under the auspices of the PiNA association. As an artist, he is active in the field of art installations, scenography and mentoring. He is a co-founder of the collective Stran 22, the IZIS festival and co-curator of the Light Gverila festival in Ljubljana from 2020 to 2022. Today he is engaged in research and development of biomaterials, with an emphasis on the use of local materials and waste for sustainable and innovative artistic endeavors.

Luka Murovec is an architect and spatial designer based between Berlin and Ljubljana, working with the international collective raumlaborberlin, among others. He specializes in temporary, sustainable structures in public space.

Luka Frelih is an artist, programmer and president of Ljudmila – Digital Media Laboratory. He has participated in pioneering net.art projects and collectives, developed interactive open source tools and leads workshops on the creative use of technologies. He actively co-creates contemporary research art programs (osmo/za, PIFcamp, Stran22, ADELA) and coordinates international collaborations within networks such as EASTN-DC, On-the-fly and KONS.

CREDITS: 
Artists: Marko Vivoda, Luka Frelih, Luka Murovec 
Marine Scientists: Ludovic Quinault (Molluscan Eye), Dr. Jean-Charles Massabuau (Lead Scientist, Molluscan Eye), Dr. Manja Rogelja (Director, Piran Aquarium), Dr. Vesna Flander Puterle (Marine Research Station)
Sound Design: Mauricio Valdés San Emeterio
Port of Koper: Jure Barovič (Sustainable Development), Mag. Franka Cepak (Sustainable Development)
PiNA: Ana Markežič (Innovation Catalyst), Borut Jerman (Lead Project Manager)