Culture

New immersive exhibition invites visitors inside the human body

24 Jul 2026 4 minute read

Evolver by Marshmallow Laser Feast. Image: Eugene Hyland

Nation.Cymru Staff

A new immersive exhibition exploring the inner workings of the human body opens this week, combining art, science, and digital technology with celebrity narration.

Acclaimed actress Cate Blanchett has lent her voice to Evolver, directed by renowned artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF), coming to Cardiff as Wales Millennium Centre opened its flagship summer exhibition on Thursday 23 July.

Visitors will follow a single breath as it travels through branching lungs, blood vessels and cells, revealing the invisible connections between our bodies and the natural world.

Evolver blends projection, spatial sound, meditation, science, and storytelling, and is executive produced by filmmakers Edward R. Pressman and Terrence Malick, with a soundtrack featuring music by Jonny Greenwood, Meredith Monk, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Howard Skempton and Jon Hopkins.

MLF is an immersive artist collective known for combining art, science and technology, with work shown at venues including the Venice Biennale and Tribeca Festival.

Managing director of MLF, Eleanor (Nell) Whitley, said: “We are delighted to be presenting Evolver at Wales Millennium Centre and to be part of their growing investment in immersive storytelling.

“Evolver invites audiences to journey beneath the skin, to step inside the human body and experience, firsthand, how breath connects us all.

“Wales has a deep tradition of connecting people to the natural world through the arts, and we hope Cardiff audiences leave this exhibition feeling that connection more vividly than ever.”

Cate Blanchett. Image: Olivier Vigerie / Hans Lucas

David Massey, Senior Producer, Creative Technology and Storytelling, Wales Millennium Centre, added: “Marshmallow Laser Feast are among the world’s most exciting immersive artists, combining innovative technology with powerful storytelling to create truly unforgettable experiences.

“We’re thrilled to bring Evolver to Cardiff as a significant exhibition in our summer programme.

“Evolver invites audiences to slow down, see the world differently and reconnect with themselves, each other and the natural world.

“It’s exactly the kind of ambitious, internationally acclaimed work we’re committed to bringing to Wales as we continue building our reputation as a destination for new forms of storytelling.”

Evolver forms part of the Wales Millennium Centre’s summer Annwn Immersive programme, which brings a series of internationally acclaimed experiences – from large scale multisensory works to a VR cinema – to Cardiff.

The exhibition follows the inaugural Annwn Prize, Wales Millennium Centre’s international award for excellence in immersive storytelling.

David Massey continued: “The recent Haunts VR experience was one of the first immersive works we developed as part of our ambition to support artists exploring new forms of storytelling.

“Its recent selection for the Venice International Film Festival shows just how far that ambition can reach, and the international appetite for immersive work being made in Wales.

“Immersive storytelling is becoming an increasingly important part of our programme, and we’re continuing to invest in artists working in this space through the Annwn Prize, new commissions and co-productions.

“Alongside bringing world-leading experiences like Evolver to Cardiff, we’re committed to creating the conditions for new Welsh immersive work to be developed here and showcased on the world stage.”

Following Evolver, Wales Millennium Centre’s Annwn Immersive programme continues throughout 2026 with a series of experiences from leading artists, including Beating Heart, a free immersive installation in Bocs that acts a companion piece to Evolver and visualises breath flowing through the heart and major arteries.

From 27 October, Framerate: Pulse of the Earth by renowned UK collective ScanLAB Projects will transform thousands of time-lapse scans of British landscapes into a multi-screen meditation on climate, time and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

The season also introduces Wales Millennium Centre’s new VR Cinema, with a programme of award-winning works presented during Llais Festival (28 September – 11 October).

Highlights include Taiwanese theatre-maker Craig Quintero’s acclaimed Just for You Trilogy, immersive music experience The Art of Change by Funilab and DROELOE, Canadian XR artist Chélanie Beaudin-Quintin’s Bodies of Water, and Welsh-made VR drama Haunts, featuring the voice of Callum Scott Howells and music from Super Furry Animals, John Cale and High Contrast.

Tickets for Evolver are available now from the Wales Millennium Centre site.

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