FadingColours is an interactive installation that connects living algae cultures with real-time data from NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch, a satellite-based monitoring system for coral reefs worldwide. Coral reefs depend on a symbiotic relationship with algae for nutrition and colour. Under environmental stress, such as rising sea temperatures, corals expel the algae, leading to bleaching and, potentially, reef collapse. While this ecological crisis is well-documented, it often remains abstract and invisible to the public.

The installation translates the bleaching conditions of five coral reef locations into the living responses of algae cultures contained in transparent vessels. Each vessel is assigned to a specific reef monitored by Coral Reef Watch and responds to its current bleaching alert level. Stress levels from each reef are translated into subtle changes in the vessels, making the environmental stress of each reef observable through the algae’s living response. The algae’s responses are complemented by a colour-coded indicator that reflects the current bleaching level of each assigned reef. Together, the colour codes and the behaviour of the algae signal the severity of bleaching in each region.

Visitors can interact with a touchscreen map to explore the global status of coral reefs and access information bubbles detailing the condition of each site. Each of the 219 monitored reefs is accessible, and the installation includes multilingual audio narration designed to make coral bleaching accessible to younger audiences and non-specialists.

By linking living organisms to near-real-time data, FadingColours creates a tangible experience of distant ecological change. It invites reflection on the fragility of marine symbiosis, the invisibility of climate data, and the role of media art in shaping ecological awareness. The work foregrounds care, observation, and indirect interaction as modes of engagement with living systems and their environmental contexts.