SEA-SICK is a kinetic installation born from a personal longing for the sea after relocating to London for her MFA in Computational Art. A pun on "I'm not homesick, I'm just missing the sea," the piece reflects a quiet ache for the ocean’s presence and the familiar rhythms of both the Irish Sea and the waves from the West Coast.
Wave data from the Marine Institute of Ireland drives the motion of suspended fabric, which slowly tilts and shifts in response to historic sea conditions. Servo motors control the corners of the cloth via invisible thread, recreating peak and troughs of the Atlantic in an abstract choreography.
This work was the beginning of O’Leary’s exploration of environmental systems, data physicalisation, and the emotional resonance of place—an initial investigation into finding ways of offering viewers a moment of stillness and connection to something vast, distant, and deeply familiar.