We Live in an Ocean of Air

Much of life on Earth is a solar being
From the plant that drinks its golden rays
To make the sugars that nourish all animal life
We are all powered by energy from the sun

When you entered this space, a particle of light left the sun
and began its journey across the galaxy
By the time you leave, this particle – a photon – will have
reached the earth

Traveling at the speed of light
Photons have been making this journey from the sun since time began
When the earth began to shape itself from clouds of dust
and elements, the debris of an exploded star

Now the photon, a tiny wave full of powerful solar energy,
reaches the earth’s periphery
Passing through the layers of the atmosphere
To the surface, where plant life has evolved to meet it:
Light reaches the tip of a leaf
And the photon lands on a chloroplast, the organ responsible
for greening energy from sunlight

This harnessing of light
is the foundation of our existence
When we absorb sugars from a plant
We are eating sunlight
That has been locked in a solar embrace
with the plant’s molecules
And by its leaves we live:
The plant drinks the sun and exhales

This timeless cycle releases an outbreath of oxygen
Which spills into the atmosphere
Filling it with breathable air

Now, step out into the world
And take your first breath

– Daisy Lafarge

"Simply being in the presence of a giant sequoia tree catalyses an experience that embeds us in planetary cycles and shared natural rhythms. If you could explore yourself, you would discover that just under your skin you are a branching being made of rivers, whirlpools and ripples in the tides of existence. Bringing the invisible into this view and exploring the symbiosis of everything can transform our understanding of the world – and how we interact with it.”

– Robin McNicholas of Marshmallow Laser Feast

Works of Nature Soundscape: Death

While developing the artworks featured in Works of Nature, Marshmallow Laser Feast conducted a series of interviews with the foremost thinkers on nature, life and the more-than-human world. These include internationally renowned cultural ecologist and geophilosopher Dr David Abram, Professor of Plant-Soil-Processes at the University of Sheffield Katie J Field, author and founder of Schumacher College Dr Stephan Harding, and biologist and bestselling author Dr Merlin Sheldrake.

In the above soundscape, they discuss consciousness and the importance of having a space connected to Gaia (the earth mother), and question the concept of individuality from a scientific point of view.

Artist video

Below, Ersin Han Ersin wanders among the Victorian landscape and explains Marshmallow Laser Feast's connection to nature.

Discover more about Marshmallow Laser Feast
Cry, struggle for words or simply feel alive in ACMI’s visual feast | The Age
Prepare to be transported to a parallel universe | AFR
Exploring Nature with Marshmallow Laser Feast | Aesthetica
Films from Marshmallow Laser Feast | Nowness
Marshmallow Laser Feast is synonymous with pointillist aesthetic in VR experiences | Stir World

Check out our Marshmallow Laser Feast reading list