Nets 5 ? Pumbley Cove (2019), Shezad Dawood, acrylic and wool on linen, 80 x 100 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Timothy Taylor, London.
British artist Shezad Dawood’s interdisciplinary practice explores themes around climate change, migration, the history of aesthetics and the nature of storytelling. Here, Nick Hackworth speaks to the artist about his new virtual reality environment, collaborating with scientists, and the social impact of art
LUX: Let?s start with your latest VR work, The Terrarium, the trailer of which is shown below. Can you tell us about the work" What would we see in the ?real? VR work"

Shezad Dawood: The Terrarium imagines what the Earth might look like in 300 years: with a drastically reduced land mass, and an even greater majority of the Earth underwater. You, the viewer, are one of a number of marine-human hybrid species. Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine
I worked with evolutionary geneticists and marine biologists to map out the species that might inhabit the Baltic sea at that point (bear in mind that the Baltic Sea is projected to extend into the English coast by then with Sweden and Denmark underwater). So the work is really about taking the audience into this possible future world, and giving them a great 3D experience of it.
A still from The Terrarium, 2020, virtual reality environment, duration variable. Courtesy of UBIK Productions.
In a reference to contemporary overfishing, you get caught by space pirates who transp...