Using Flip-dot technology, once a staple in public transportation displays, Depeña constructs a dynamic installation celebrating humanity’s deep connection with the ocean. The work displays video footage with segments of literature and poetry inspired by the sea’s allure. The work is installed on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Quantum of the Seas.

Depeña curated a vast data pool of sea-related words through internet searches, which were then reassembled into hundreds of lines of prose. He also embarked on several scuba diving expeditions and visits to aquatic institutions and science museums, to capture the video footage. The visual elements of the video footage are then woven together with the text through custom software, creating a random yet cohesive narrative.

Integrating flip-dot technology, known for its use in older transportation schedules and nostalgic charm, Depeña leveraged the magnetic pulses to activate discs, adding a mesmerizing kinetic dimension that simulates the sea’s motion. To translate the video signal, magnetic pulses are sent from the computer source, triggering each individual disc to flip “on” or “off”. When experienced sequentially, the kinetic mechanisms seamlessly display the video signal while mimicking the wind and water’s behavior with waves of sound through the flip-dot’s distinctive clicking sound and motion.