Sea Life COEX: Immersive Experience Design

Sea Life COEX in Seoul reopened in 2025 following a successful rebrand and integration into Merlin Entertainments. As part of a major refurbishment programme, the aquarium unveiled its new immersive experience zone ‘Sea at Night’. Merlin Magic Making engaged seeper to develop the immersive experience design for this attraction.

Collaborating within a global team of industry specialists led by creative director Theodore Papadopoulos - including aquarium designers, architects, theming fabricators and lighting designers - I led the creative development of the immersive experience design for ‘Sea at Night’, supported by Jon Taylor, seeper’s creative lead, and technical director, Dan Sloane.

Our work encompassed narrative development, storyboarding and visualisation, story arc and beat structuring, detailed moment-to-moment experience mapping, as well as preparing a technical design package for tender. As part of the design, Jon and I created a series of mixed-media ‘awe and wonder’ moments positioned at key points in the guest journey - combining theatrical techniques, scenic art and automation, audiovisual design, animation and interactive development - delivering a captivating experience inspiring deeper emotional connection with the marine world.