Taichung is defined by a continuous drop in elevation, from mountain to sea. In under 100 kilometers, water travels from high-mountain cold springs, valley waterfalls, plain river networks, to intertidal wetlands. This area presents three digital installations inspired by the midstream and downstream reaches of Taichung’s waterways, capturing the region’s environmental character inside a series of immersive experience cubes.

Modeled after Tianchi at Xueshan (Snow Mountain), this section simulates a high-altitude environment (approx. 2,200 to 2,600 meters). It evokes the landscape and ecological atmosphere of the montane cloud-forest zone. Through dynamic day-to-night cycles, seasonal transitions, and real-time interaction, visitors feel the mountain forest’s profound stillness.

Drawing from the Longgu and Butterfly Valley waterfalls at mid to higher elevations (approx. 780 to 1,020 meters), this environment combines the main cascade with surrounding scenery. The scene echoes the waterfall’s rhythm through day-to-night shifts and interactive details such as drifting leaves.

Modeled after Gaomei Wetland, this low-altitude scene pairs mirror-like tidal reflections with intertidal life. Visitors are invited to step into the wetland environment and encounter fiddler crabs up close.

This digital experience presents three distinct jellyfish forms: “Jellyfish Eggs,” “Moon Jellyfish,” and “Sea Nettle.” Through the orchestration of light, scale, and movement, the installation explores the jellyfish as both biological organism and ethereal atmosphere, drifting visitors into a dreamlike realm.

This area is dominated by massive schooling scenes. A digital simulation of collective movement becomes a fluid spectacle. Visitors can step in, disrupt, and redirect the school’s flow, experiencing the visceral sensation of being surrounded by a sea of fish in the open ocean.

This zone features a massive projection (up to 8.5 meters high) integrated with a physical ecological tank. Scheduled cinematic narratives reveal the rich ecology and complex food chain of the Kuroshio Sea, guiding visitors toward the abundance sustained by the current.

At the end of the journey, the theme shifts to exploration. Visitors interact with large-scale projections to deepen their understanding of marine life. The entire experience is distilled into three stages: Summon, Observe, Learn.

Sound is central to how the aquarium is experienced. In every exhibition area, we designed a corresponding soundscape based on each zone’s theme and interaction context. We fine-tune the mix and spatial distribution according to the acoustic properties of the space, ensuring the audio aligns with each zone’s spatial character. The sound design follows an eco-conscious principle, reducing excessive sub-bass energy to avoid disturbing marine life.

The Jellyfish and Kuroshio zones utilize a surround sound system. As the sound field flows, visitors are immersed in an environment that convincingly evokes being underwater. For example, in the Kuroshio Zone, as the whale swims across the projection, the sound moves with its path through the space, supported by carefully controlled low-end energy to convey its scale. In the Jellyfish Zone, sound effects track the jellyfish’s movement in space, so sound becomes both a narrative thread and a subtle guide.