Header: Kevin Calero
Kelly Nunes‘ visionary artworks not only captivate with their aesthetic brilliance but also serve as poignant reminders of our interconnectedness with the natural world, urging us to embrace sustainability and conservation in our collective journey forward.
She recently presented The Celestial Cycle, a series of five artworks commissioned by Age of Union founder Dax Dasilva over 10 years, now including Earth Room, Sun Room, Moon Room, Glacier Cave, and Black Hole Room.
Nunes’ artworks tap themes of care, emphasising the therapeutic impact of nature immersion and addressing the evolving discourse on healing and well-being. In response to contemporary disconnection from the outdoors, Nunes’ series nurtures reconnection with nature‘s healing qualities. Collectively, the works foster a sense of awe and reverence, aiming to catalyse climate action.
“Each space transcends conventional boundaries, compelling us to reassess our relationship with the environment, unlocking the intrinsic value of nature, and igniting a collective call to conservation action.”
Dax Dasilva
Moving between each work, visitors are propelled to envision pro-environmental and conservation activities integral to Age of Union’s mission.
The series
Glacier Cave
Sensations of being within a cracking and thawing glacier are rendered with a play of post-consumer plastics, responsive lights, and soundtracks. Ice structures’ ancient and mystical qualities intertwine with their symbol of global warming.
Earth Room
A live plant garden and post-consumer paper structures immerse visitors in earthly creature poses complemented by spatialized sounds of isochronic tones, proven to lower stress hormones and relieve anxiety symptoms. The Earth Room was envisioned in collaboration with Nicolas Fonseca.
Moon Room
A close encounter with our primary cosmological symbol, a four-foot-diameter sphere, displays a rotating projection of the moon, enabling new perspectives and sensations of reverence and diminutiveness.
Sun Room
The Sun Room, born from a collaboration with Adam Hummell, is a functional room for healing and meditation featuring a modulating light frequency sculpture accompanied by Seasonal Affective Disorder lamp fixtures and a soundtrack tuned to therapeutic 432 hertz.
Black Hole Room
Drawing from the physics of black holes and their profound transcendent effect on our collective consciousness, a multi-modal projection supports generative video content driven by audio input and body tracking.
Healing & Conservation
While certain pillars of the series embody and situate audiences in earthly contexts (Sun Room, Earth Room, Glacier Cave), others stand as reminders of the importance of reflection and humility in the fabric of something much more vast than ourselves (Moon Room, Black Hole Room).
Nunes’ series invites a discourse around conservation and degradation through the materials it comprises—like post-consumer plastic, reconstituted waste paper, and real vegetation. The full immersion in each piece spurs visitors to reflect on nature’s evolving need for conservation by bestowing its most present force: the power to heal.
Nunes ultimately prompts reflection on accessing the healing power of nature in common metropolitan contexts where routine access may be challenging.