Dana-Fiona Armour: Serpentine Currents

Suspended across the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, the three-part illuminated sculpture is modelled from a 3D scan of Aipysurus fuscus, an endangered sea snake species. Its mesh LED surface is animated using historic and predictive ocean data from the British coastline, with patterns and luminosity shifting in response to rising sea temperatures and decreasing salinity. Often described as “bioindicators” of marine health, sea snakes become a lens through which to visualise otherwise invisible environmental change.

Flowing above the courtyard’s water fountains, Serpentine Currents mirrors the movement of tidal waters, creating a striking encounter that translates scientific research into a living, responsive form. The installation resonates strongly within its setting: Somerset House was once home to the Royal Society, a pivotal institution in the advancement of natural history and ecological understanding. Situated in a site shaped by centuries of scientific inquiry, the work invites visitors to reflect on the environmental shifts shaping our collective future.
Opening shortly after the close of the Year of the Snake and running through Earth Day 2026, the installation encourages audiences to consider the delicate state of the world’s oceans and our relationship to the natural world.

*Please note: imagery represents a 3D simulation of the installation design.

About the Exhibition

• The sculpture is created from a 3D scan of Aipysurus fuscus, an endangered sea snake listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• Armour developed the work during her residency at the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, where the scanned specimen is held.
• Oceanographic data is supplied by CEFAS (Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences), drawing on 50 years of recorded sea temperature and salinity levels from sensors along the British coast.
• The dataset is also projected 50 years into the future, modelling a scenario in which warming seas could allow sea snakes to inhabit UK waters – a projection grounded in current scientific trajectories.

Armour’s practice sits at the intersection of art and science. By translating complex scientific research into visual form, she invites deeper engagement with ecological knowledge and the delicate systems that sustain life.