‘The Ever-Changing Flow’ a Digital Diorama
The Ever-Changing Flow
Artist & Concept Developer
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
Getty Foundation — Pacific Standard Time 2024
The Ever-Changing Flow is a multimedia diorama commissioned for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles’ centennial exhibition, Reframing Dioramas, as part of the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time 2024 initiative. Selected as one of three artists through a competitive proposal process, the work traces five ecological epochs of the Los Angeles River—from natural watershed to urban infrastructure—culminating in a future vision of habitat restoration.
As the lead artist, I guided the project from concept through execution, shaping the narrative structure, visual language, sound design, fabrication, and technical approach in close collaboration with museum curators, scientists, fabricators, and media partners. The installation blends extended-reality technologies with traditional museum materials—including fabricated plant life and taxidermy—using projection-mapped 3D animation to reimagine the historic art of dioramas for a contemporary audience.
The project required balancing artistic interpretation with scientific accuracy, institutional constraints, and long-term durability. I developed a narrative framework capable of communicating complex ecological history across generations while remaining accessible, engaging, and sustainable over a year-long exhibition run.
Endorsed by Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR), the installation aligns with ongoing community-based habitat restoration efforts, inviting museum visitors to see themselves as participants in shaping the future of Los Angeles’ public landscapes.
Exhibited September 2024 – September 2025.
Scene 1 | Los Angeles River, 'Paayme Paxaayt'
Scene 2 | Agriculture Boom
Scene 3 | Historic Flood
Scene 4 | Present Day
Scene 5 | Future Vision of Restoration
Art Science & Technology
To bring the projected backgrounds and fabricated foreground into a single, cohesive experience, I designed the visuals from a shared, eye-level viewpoint along the ridge—shaping how visitors would naturally encounter the work. The 3D animated scenes were rendered from this perspective and carefully corrected for off-axis projection, creating a subtle forced-perspective effect that opens up a sense of depth and an extended horizon within each scene.
Sound played an equally important role in the experience. I composed five distinct soundscapes that correspond with the visual environment, inviting visitors to slow down, linger, and engage more deeply with the installation’s narrative and context.
Pre-visualization studies were developed in close collaboration with Stillwater Sciences (ecological mapping), Mar Sorell (projection mapping), and Jet Olaño (CAD), supporting an integrated approach across art, science, and technology
The Ever-Changing Flow
It was an honor to active the Los Angeles community through storytelling and art; to share it’s history, discuss our impact, and inspire a positive future vision the LA River.