Swell

Swell is a set of sculptural LED screens installed in the lobby of a private company in Madrid, Spain. They display abstract animations generated from the texts of six key environmental documents: the Paris Agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, the Montreal Protocol, and the Earth Summits of Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, and Canberra. All of these agreements, signed by multiple nations, address issues of global significance.
 
Connected to the internet, the screens show in real time how words extracted from these texts emerge and transform. Their speed and color palette fluctuate based on live data related to the four elements—fire, air, water, and earth—sourced from platforms like Worldometer and NASA. This data includes water consumption, wildfires, desertification levels, and CO2 emissions.

Visually, the animation evokes the fluidity of smoke and watercolor, with colors blending organically. The chromatic palette is tied to each element: reds and oranges represent fire; blues symbolize water; green and purple correspond to CO2; while desertification and earth are depicted through shades of gray.

Another distinctive feature is the use of curved architectural intersections within the sculpture. The undulating silhouettes of these technological flows resemble natural forms such as rivers, hills, and valleys, creating a dialogue between the digital and the landscape.

Swell is a political metaphor that explores the weight of words and the importance of laws in protecting both humanity and the planet.