Panaji’s old GMC complex has been transformed into an immersive marine ecology installation where children can explore the hidden world of phytoplankton through glow-in-the-dark artworks, sensory environments, storytelling and hands-on activities.
Titled ‘Phytoplankton World: The Unseen Heroes of Marine Life’, the installation was created by Children’s Art Studio at the Museum of Goa with support from the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG). The project brings an educational experience into an existing urban complex rather than a conventional classroom or gallery setting.
Visitors move through an imagined underwater environment featuring seaweed-like forms, marine ecosystems and enlarged luminous representations inspired by phytoplankton observed under a microscope. The installation is designed to make microscopic marine life visible and accessible to children through spatial design, tactile elements and visual storytelling.
CCP mayor Rohit Monserrate said the installation was intended to encourage visitors to recognise the importance of organisms that are rarely visible in everyday life. “Through an installation like Phytoplankton World, we want people to look closely at these tiny organisms and understand how fundamental they are to the food systems and ecological systems that sustain us,” he said.
The installation’s use of the old GMC complex also highlights how existing urban spaces can host public-facing cultural and educational programmes. In this case, the site has been adapted into an environment that links art, ecology and children’s learning. The supplied report does not specify the installation’s duration, visitor capacity or whether the complex will host further programmes after the exhibition.
Museum of Goa director Sharada Kerkar said the project was built around the idea that educational experiences could help children connect with ecosystems beyond their immediate surroundings. “Creating educational experiences rooted in wonder allows children to empathise with worlds beyond their everyday lives–places, systems and beings they may not otherwise encounter,” she said.
The production team used glow-in-the-dark materials, tactile surfaces and recycled materials to create the underwater setting. Discarded material collected from beaches was also converted into artworks, connecting the installation’s construction process with the marine environment it represents.
Phytoplankton are presented in the installation as small organisms with a fundamental role in marine food systems and ecological systems. By enlarging their forms and placing them within an immersive setting, the project shifts attention from more visible marine life to the less familiar organisms that support wider ecosystems.
The initiative brings together the CCP, ESG and the Museum of Goa in a public programme that uses art and adaptive exhibition design to communicate marine ecology. Further details about public access, programming schedules and the installation’s next stages were not included in the report.
