Pandora: Interactive Sculptures Exploring Psychology, Ecosystems, and Everyday Change

Pandora is a new body of work by award-winning multidisciplinary artist Hunter Deorum, expanding on themes first explored in his earlier project Arkadia. Where Arkadia imagined immersive environments, Pandora investigates whether the aesthetic experience of art, influenced by existing psychological research, can influence daily habits for up to, and beyond, three months.

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The Intent Behind Pandora

The project aims to connect audiences to environmental issues through interactive sculpture, psychology, and digital technology. Each sculpture will be designed as a miniature ecosystem, carefully constructed to evoke the fragility and beauty of the natural world. By engaging with these contained environments, viewers are asked to reflect not only on the ecosystems themselves, but on their own actions and relationship to preservation.

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The underlying question: Can the aesthetic experience of encountering art lead to real behavioural change in how we care for our environment?

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What Will Be Explored and Developed

The sculptures combine environmental psychology, reflective illusion, and immersive technology. Each work will incorporate:

• Miniature ecological worlds: self-contained sculptures that visualise biodiversity and interdependence.

• Optional QR codes: allowing viewers to meet the animals that inhabit these ecosystems via augmented reality (AR) and animation, extending the physical sculpture into a digital storytelling experience.

• Psychological research: building on theories of environmental psychology and perception, the project tests whether art experiences can encourage behavioural change over sustained periods.​

• This builds on the foundations of Arkadia, further developing the use of art as a tool for education, reflection, and environmental activism.

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The Outcomes of Pandora

The project will result in a series of interactive sculptures that act as both contemplative artworks and active tools for engagement. By blending physical form with digital layers, Pandora creates an immersive experience that bridges art, psychology, and ecology.

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Ultimately, the outcome is not just sculptural: it is behavioural. Pandora seeks to measure whether aesthetic encounters can leave lasting impressions, shaping daily habits, inspiring sustainable practices, and nurturing a deeper sense of care for the natural world.