ryo yamada’s in vitro / zero metre above sea level
Presented as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival 2026 at Summerhall Arts, Japanese artist Ryo Yamada designed and self-built In Vitro / Zero Metre Above Sea level as a site-specific architectural installation. Initiated in 2025 as part of his ongoing Zero Metre Above Sea Level series, this iteration confronts Scotland’s projected sea-level rise resulting from global climate change. Situated approximately 79-meters above sea level, this installation uses physical space to map time, translating complex environmental projections into a profound spatial experience.
the windows encourage visitors to look out and imagine the passage of 20,000 years in the future
vitro gallery floods open during edinburgh art festival 2026
Set within the grand, window-lined in Vitro Gallery, the structure spans nearly eight meters wide and stands 3.8-meters high – roughly twice the size of its previous enclosed iteration. The upper ceiling of the installation represents a projected future sea level roughly 20,000 years into the future at this specific location. Lined with large windows, the gallery invites shifting natural light and shadows to continuously transform the visual atmosphere of the space throughout the day. Visitors are encouraged to look through the installation toward the historic Edinburgh landscape outside, framing a dialogue between human history, historical architecture, and deep geological time.
Yamada designed and hand-assembled the entire monolithic framework over a rigorous preparation process, utilizing delicate pine timber strips measuring just 21 x 21-mm. Although the web of slender wooden elements appears fragile, its precise connections provide remarkable structural stability. Stretched non-woven fabric catches and diffuses light throughout the frame, evoking the ethereal, ephemeral presence of rising ocean waters. Through meticulous materiality and scale, Yamada’s installation invites quiet contemplation on humanity’s place within the Earth’s climate trajectory.
timber strips, measuring just 21 × 21 mm, are precisely cut and assembled into a monolithic frame
the ceiling of the installation represents a future sea level approximately 20,000 years
the space visualizes projected future sea levels within the In Vitro Gallery
In Vitro Gallery is approximately 0.72 meters above street level
20,000 years may seem unimaginably distant to us yet, in the context of the Earth’s future, it is not
the installation changes in appearance and atmosphere as natural light and shadows shift during the day
construction detail of the timber frames
project info:
name: In Vitro / Zero Metre Above Sea Level
designer: Ryo Yamada
location: In Vitro Gallery, Summerhall Arts
event: Edinburgh Art Festival 2026
dates: 25 July – 13 September, 2026
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