Thermodynamics is a field of physics that explores the relationship between heat and other forms of energy. Recent research suggests that life emerges from an organism’s ability to release heat. In this new artwork, Life Forever, Vytas invites us into an absurd ‘jellyfish wellness spa’, where jellyfish float inside a tank warmed by cryptominers - machines that use computer power to generate cryptocurrency, and produce significant heat. In a video, the spa’s host, Lola, prepares visitors for a treatment that raises questions about our values, desires and pleasure-seeking lifestyles in the face of the climate crisis.

Vytas draws connections between jellyfish, cryptominers and humans, showing how each of these interacts with heat as an
essential part of its existence. Cryptominers consume enormous amounts of energy to produce speculative digital value - just as humans burn energy in their search for meaning, profit and pleasure. Unusable for much else, cryptominer machines quickly become obsolete, echoing our own patterns of production, consumption and waste that drive ecological imbalance and climate breakdown, a cycle that repeats until it collapses. Jellyfish, however, are unique in their ability to adapt. Unlike other species, including humans, they thrive in warming oceans. Some can even revert to earlier life stages, giving them a form of biological immortality.

Spa host Lola is a well-meaning spiritual healer whose good intentions are distorted by her consumerist desires and faith in technology. Convinced that jellyfish immortality might hold the key to solving the climate crisis, she guides you, the guests, through the experience. A Tamagotchi-style interface gives you control over the spa’s heat flow and profit, letting you choose between making money or keeping the jellyfish alive. Based on your decisions, you may be invited onto a karaoke stage to sing along to remixed songs by ‘Mr Immortal Jellyfish Man’, the alter ego of Dr Shin Kubota. A leading jellyfish research
scientist, karaoke star and the inspiration for this artwork’s title, Kubota has dedicated his life to uncovering the immortal potential of jellyfish.

Through humour and gamified interaction, Vytas’ Life Forever spa invites us to reflect on how our pursuit of comfort, entertainment and technological convenience shapes the world. It asks us to reconsider what we value, what we care for, and how our choices feed into larger systems that influence the future.