On 30 October 2023, Jean Bidlot represented ECMWF at the inauguration of the new artwork ‘HavObservatoriet’ in Vejle, Denmark. The structure was designed by the internationally recognised artists Lise Autogena and Joshua Portway. The software behind the piece downloads the latest ocean wave forecast from ECMWF several times a day and transforms it to create a visual representation of current wave conditions in the seas surrounding Denmark.
HavObservatoriet is a circular steel edifice, three metres high and seven metres in diameter, which was installed in the Vejle Klimaparken, not far from the famous building complex Bølgen ‘The Wave’ (see the photo). A purpose-built circular LED screen surrounds the viewer with a visualisation of the current sea state at changing positions in the seas around Denmark.
Lise and Joshua have explored new ways of interpreting and visualising the dynamic movements of the sea in collaboration with ECMWF. The software developed by the artists converts the spectral wave information in the forecasts into a three-dimensional animation of the sea state by processing the forecast data to create a higher-resolution spectral map. Using that map, the artists have created an animated visualisation of the waves as represented by millions of moving floating points that surround the viewer. In this way, they have achieved a realistic representation of what would be seen if one were drifting with the waves at that location (see the wave image).
The sea observatory is the first of a series of works of art in the Vejle Ådal and Fjord region as part of the project ‘Byen, Vandet og Kunsten’ (City, Water and Art). It was commissioned by the Danish Arts Foundation and focuses on water as a future challenge and potential. The sea observatory is part of the area renewal programme in Vejle Municipality and is supported by the regional renewal funds of the Danish Social and Housing Authority. HavObservatoriet was also supported by ECMWF and the Art, Design and Media Research Centre (ADMRC) at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.