Tidal Vectors

Tidal Vectors (2000) is a digital installation that reimagines Sydney Harbour through animated scientific data. Commissioned by the Museum of Sydney, the work draws on depth soundings and tidal flow vectors to create a continuously shifting visualisation of the harbour’s dynamic topography. Projected across layered glass screens using back projection and randomly accessed video sequences, the work creates an immersive field of movement and light. The installation is accompanied by a surround soundscape composed by Barton Staggs, which echoes the tidal rhythms and atmospheric depth of the visual elements. Blending environmental data with poetic form, Tidal Vectors transforms Sydney Harbour into a sensory archive—fluid, layered, and alive with historical resonance.