2026 | Kinetic installation, computational art, environmental data
Syzygy of the Tides is a kinetic installation by Kerrie O’Leary that explores the interdependence of celestial mechanics, tidal movement and human rhythms.
Developed through research at a historic tide mill in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, the work investigates a system in which the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth once governed not only the movement of water, but the organisation of labour and everyday life. The tide miller operated within a shifting temporal structure, adapting periods of work and rest to the lunar and tidal cycles rather than the fixed hours of industrial time.
Through embodied field research, including 7 days and 7 nights spent living and sleeping at the mill, O’Leary examined these alternative rhythms of existence. Tidal predictions, lunar phases, atmospheric measurements and personal sleep–wake data were collected and translated through computational processes into spatial and mechanical forms.
The resulting installation operates as an interconnected system driven by a single motor. Suspended elements rise and fall in tidal sequences, while a rotating mechanism follows the recorded rhythms of human activity. Digital displays introduce atmospheric data gathered at the research site, extending the relationship between environmental observation and physical movement.
By translating data into kinetic form, Syzygy of the Tides makes perceptible the complex relationships between natural forces, technological systems and human experience. The installation proposes an alternative understanding of time: not as a fixed, abstract measurement, but as a dynamic condition shaped by planetary movement and environmental change.
Developed during the S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION residency, the installation was presented in Water Flow at MUSE, Trento, Italy, in October 2026.
