Dana-Fiona Armour: Serpentine Currents

19 Feb-26 Apr 2026

Overview

Somerset House launches its 2026 season with 'Serpentine Currents – Fragments of a Changing Future', a major new courtyard installation by artist Dana-Fiona Armour. Blending sculpture, science, and responsive light technology, the work brings attention to the changing conditions of our oceans and the fragile ecosystems they support.

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.