
Tales from the Receding Edge” is an interactive, multidisciplinary installation about the dynamic interplay between climate-driven coastal erosion and human perception along Italy’s changing shorelines. Anchored in real-time Copernicus climate forecast data and precise erosion modeling, the installation transforms abstract scientific forecasts into tangible, experiential encounters.
Rather than framing erosion merely as ecological catastrophe, the installation celebrates its dual role as both destructive force and creative agent. Visitors are immersed in a virtual simulation where they can witness and influence the patterns, textures and landforms that emerge from these elemental processes.
Central to the installation is a custom interactive geomorphic sculpting simulation. This simulation visualizes coastal erosion by replicating natural forces (wind, water currents, and waves) that gradually erode a virtual monolith. The precise amount of material removed in the simulation corresponds exactly to real-world data on land loss, derived from specific coastal regions chosen by the audience. This provides audiences with a direct and relatable visual representation of environmental change, bridging the gap between abstract scientific data and human perception.
The experience draws visitors into the living pulse of the coast, immersing them in a real-time choreography of land and water. Visitors step onto an interactive stage where the invisible forces shaping our shorelines become vividly present. Each choice on the map sets new dynamics in motion: digital shorelines shift and reshape as the tides rise, recede, and carve new patterns. Participants witness immediate visual feedback from their interactions, creating an intuitive dialogue between actions and environmental response.
The experience offers us a glimpse into a aprocess that is outside of the temporal space of human experience. We can witness changes that would take years to be noticed in a couple of seconds.