Present Tense

An installation photo of artist Lynn Hershman Leeson’s multimedia artwork “Present Tense.” The installation consists of a water-filled tank illuminated by a central projection of live data feeds, which shifts colors to illustrate water toxicity levels alongside the high-definition videos of babies swimming innocently underwater. The feeds appear as a color-coded calendar on the lower screen, displaying information specific to San Jose, Silicon Valley, and beyond. The videos of the babies are also color-coded to reflect live toxin levels and, as the levels rise, a stream of air bubbles surges through the water. In this image, the light is bright blue.