Drift Lattice, 2025
Theo Triantafyllidis
Live Simulation
3X 55” HD Displays (16:27 Aspect Ratio), Speakers, Gaming PC, Internet Connection
Music by Diego Navarro
Octopus Behaviour by Miles Peyton
Edition of 3+2APs
Drift Lattice invites viewers into a simulation of a vast, swirling underwater ecosystem where marine life and synthetic debris coexist in a complex, evolving environment. Aquatic species - crabs, fishes, and diving birds - move amidst entangled masses of seaweed, fishing nets, and discarded plastics, while autonomous cleanup drones navigate the currents, working to untangle and collect the detritus. The simulation’s dynamic state is continuously influenced by real-time data from global climate monitoring networks and oceanic research programs, mirroring the precarious health of real-world marine ecosystems and emphasizing the urgency of ecological action.
This work continues Theo Triantafyllidis’s exploration of simulated ecosystems, following BugSim (Pheromone Spa) (2022), currently on view at the Whitney Museum's Shifting Landscapes exhibition. In BugSim, a microscopic world unfolds within a glass terrarium, where ants, bees, and other insects work together in a delicately balanced closed system, simulating the cycles necessary for environmental repair. Drift Lattice expands this inquiry to an oceanic scale, exploring resilience and entropy within a synthetic marine environment.
The installation draws on concepts from James Bridle's Ways of Being and Holly Jean Buck’s After Geoengineering, reflecting on the distinct intelligences of human, artificial, and natural systems. By highlighting their interdependencies, the work underscores the necessity for collaboration between these modes of intelligence in addressing ecological challenges. It also touches on Buck’s discussion of large-scale oceanic interventions, such as kelp farms for carbon capture, positioning Drift Lattice as a speculative response to real-world environmental crises.
Through this intricate simulation, Drift Lattice questions the boundaries between life and lifelikeness, natural and artificial, prompting viewers to consider the evolving interplay between these forces in an era of ecological uncertainty. The subtle responsiveness of the system to real-world data not only underscores the immediacy of ecological challenges but also serves as a speculative barometer, tracking humanity’s ongoing impact on ocean health.
