The Heat Beneath Our Feet: Bringing Hidden Geothermal Research to the Surface Through Projection Art
This October, visitors to Light Night Leeds will be invited to look beneath the surface of the city and discover an extraordinary world that usually remains unseen.
The Heat Beneath Our Feet is a new immersive installation that transforms University of Leeds geothermal research into a striking visual and sound experience, revealing the geological history beneath Leeds and exploring how the city's subsurface could help support a low-carbon energy future. Developed as part of the University's City Living Labs programme, the project demonstrates the power of collaboration between researchers, artists and engagement specialists to make complex sustainability challenges accessible, memorable and inspiring.
Created by Dr Lynn Wray, Professor Adam Booth and Rebecca Smith (Urban Projections), with an original score by Nicholas Lewis and produced by the Cultural Institute, this immersive installation uses a large-scale floor projection and soundscape to take audiences on a journey through geological time. Visitors will explore shifting layers of rock, water and heat beneath the city while encountering artistic interpretations of the University's pioneering geothermal research and its potential to help heat and cool buildings across Leeds in the future
The project has been funded through the University of Leeds Sustainability Service's Living Labs programme using Climate Plan funding under the Supporting a Net Zero City principle. It is one of a growing number of City Living Lab projects that use Leeds as a living laboratory, bringing together researchers, communities, cultural organisations and public partners to test new approaches to sustainability challenges while creating lasting value beyond a single event
For the Sustainability Service, seeing the project reach this stage is a proud moment.
"It's been fantastic to watch this project develop from an idea into a major Light Night installation. It shows what's possible when researchers, creative practitioners and professional services colleagues come together around a shared goal. We're incredibly proud to have played a small part in helping bring it to life." Jane Dickinson, Sustainability Engagement Manager
The installation also demonstrates how creative practice can open up new conversations about climate action. Rather than communicating through reports, diagrams or technical language alone, the project invites people to experience the science for themselves through movement, imagery and sound.
“ This projection artwork was developed as part of the Stories from the Subsurface project, which seeks to explore how creative storytelling can deepen public understanding of the subsurface and its potential role in the just energy transition. Light Night offered the perfect opportunity to bring the crucial research being done on the University campus by Geosolutions Leeds, to the surface and make it visible to a public audience. Our aim was to spark curiosity about geothermal energy and reframe public perceptions of the subsurface — from unseen void to dynamic world, full of history, hidden connections and possibilities for clean reliable energy”. Dr Lynn Wray
“Public trust is essential if we are to develop geothermal energy in the UK and meet our decarbonising ambitions. This installation provides a novel way of connecting with the public – inspiring interest in geothermal technologies and helping demystify the role of the subsurface in energy provision.” Professor Adam Booth
The project is inspired by the work of researchers from the Geothermal Campus and Geothermal City initiatives, alongside experts from Geosolutions, whose research has advanced understanding of the potential for geothermal energy in Leeds and beyond. Drawing on expertise across geoscience, engineering and sustainability, their pioneering work has informed the project and helped establish Leeds as a leader in geothermal innovation.
As well as engaging audiences during Light Night Leeds, the project has been designed to leave a lasting legacy. Through the Living Labs approach, it will generate reusable creative assets, evaluation insights and engagement methods that can be adapted for future events, educational activities and public engagement programmes across Yorkshire.
Ultimately, The Heat Beneath Our Feet is more than an installation. It is a celebration of what can happen when research, creativity and sustainability come together to tell powerful stories, helping people see familiar places in new ways and inspiring conversations about the future of our city
The Heat Beneath Our Feet will be exhibited as part of Light Night Leeds 2026 on 28-29 October 2026 outside the Edward Boyle Library. Further information is available on the Open Up Leeds event page
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work in the with Leeds Light Night is linked to the following SDGs:
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13: Climate Action
