NOW / Naoia* translates meteorological data and time of day from a specific geographical location into realistic moving images, in real time. The generative imagery is constantly changing, never to be repeated.

The POV has the viewer standing at the water’s edge, facing the ocean. Depending on the weather conditions and hour, the image that one sees may call to mind various art-historical depictions related to the sea.

The location data used in this project is from the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu has consistently ranked among the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, facing existential threats from rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

Cloud layers shift with live wind data. The ocean surface responds to real wave conditions. Light changes with the solar position for Vanuatu's latitude and longitude at that moment. When CO₂ readings are elevated, a subtle color shift moves through the ocean — a coral bleach effect, barely perceptible but real. During cyclone conditions, the scene responds accordingly.

Presentation of the project is flexible: it can be exhibited on a wall-mounted screen in a variety of standard sizes, or projected floor-to-ceiling onto a wall, for an immersive experience. All programming for the project is contained on an SSD that can be inserted into the appropriate port of a wall-mounted screen, or a laptop for projection.

*Naoia is the word for “now” in Bislama, the national language of Vanuatu.