Step into a world where sunlight fades and mystery reigns. Twilight Zone: Hidden Wonders of Nature, the immersive exhibition at ARTECHOUSE, plunges visitors into the ocean’s mesopelagic zone—a shadowy layer between 200 and 1,000 meters deep, where life pulses to rhythms we’re only just beginning to understand.

This multisensory experience fuses cutting-edge science with digital art, using floor-to-ceiling projections, interactive visuals, and an evocative soundscape to bring the deep sea’s wonders to life. Bioluminescent flashes dance across the walls like undersea fireflies, schools of lanternfish swirl through vast underwater canyons, and the daily migration of billions of creatures—the diel vertical migration, the largest animal movement on Earth—unfolds in mesmerizing detail.

This multisensory experience fuses cutting-edge science with digital art, using floor-to-ceiling projections, interactive visuals, and an evocative soundscape to bring the deep sea’s wonders to life.

The twilight zone, sometimes called the ocean’s “dark middle,” is one of the most dynamic and least explored ecosystems on the planet. Its residents play a vital role in global carbon cycles, sequestering atmospheric carbon and regulating our climate. Yet despite its importance, the twilight zone remains largely unknown to the public—and vulnerable to emerging threats like deep-sea mining and overfishing.

My Role in the Exhibition

As a National Geographic Explorer and science storyteller, I was honored to collaborate with the ARTECHOUSE team and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Twilight Zone: Hidden Wonders of Nature. My role centered on translating complex scientific concepts into compelling, emotionally resonant narratives that could engage audiences of all ages.

Drawing from years of experience telling stories about the deep—through film, writing, exhibitions, and podcasts—I worked alongside researchers, designers, and creative technologists to help shape the exhibition’s narrative arc. Together, we crafted an experience that doesn’t just inform, but immerses: inviting visitors to feel the wonder, beauty, and fragility of this hidden world.

One of the most exciting aspects of this collaboration was helping bridge the gap between hard data and human emotion. How do you convey the scale of the diel vertical migration, or the eerie glow of a siphonophore colony, to someone who has never glimpsed the deep sea? For me, it’s about weaving together sensory details, scientific insight, and the universal pull of curiosity. It’s about giving the ocean a voice people can hear—and, hopefully, care about.

At its heart, Twilight Zone is more than just a visual spectacle. It’s a call to awareness. As we stand at the brink of new frontiers in ocean exploration, we face critical choices about how we engage with these unseen spaces. Exhibitions like this one make the invisible visible, reminding us that the health of the deep is tied to the health of the entire planet.

I’m proud to have been part of a team that believes in the power of art and science to move hearts and minds. Whether you’re a deep-sea fanatic or simply curious about the blue planet we call home, I hope Twilight Zone leaves you with a sense of awe—and a spark of responsibility.