Habitual scrolling has often become an embedded behavior in contemporary digital life, shaped by platforms designed for continuous content consumption. Studies show that users engage in rapid, repetitive interaction with high volumes of information, often processing content at a surface level rather than with sustained attention. This pattern of engagement reinforces fragmented focus and limits deeper reflection, creating a cycle of ongoing consumption with minimal cognitive pause.
For artist Tatyana Murray, this is more than a behavioral trend. It signals a deeper erosion of attention.
She says, “Living in New York City, I see the lack of attention every day. Everyone on the subway is on their cell phones. People are just not present. They are totally checked out in a linear world of technology. You can see it when going through, they are just swipe, swipe, swipe all the time.”
According to Murray, her work emerges as a direct response to this condition. A self-taught artist based in New York, with roots in the Bahamas and formative years spent in London, she has spent more than two decades developing immersive light sculptures that challenge how audiences engage with art. Her practice operates at the intersection of art, technology, nature, and well-being, while remaining grounded in a clear intention to reshape how people experience time and attention.
“My work aims to visually arrest the viewer, demanding them to just stop and look. As you walk around a piece, the light refracts; there is interaction, a sense of movement, and it can just slow you down. That is my goal, for someone to breathe and slow down when they look at my work and get connected back to who they are,” Murray explains.
This emphasis on experience over observation defines Murray’s artistic philosophy. Her works are not static objects. They are immersive environments that unfold through interaction. Using etched layers and controlled illumination, she creates dynamic compositions that simulate natural light patterns such as sunlight filtering through trees or penetrating the waters to reveal the coral within. Each piece evolves continuously, offering a sense of movement and depth that encourages sustained engagement.
“I am a self-taught artist. I just follow my intuition and inspiration. I am fed from everything around me, even my imagination and dreams,” she says.
Her process is deeply intuitive. Rather than imposing a rigid structure, Murray allows the medium itself to guide the outcome. For her, light acts as both material and mentor, revealing form and direction as each work develops. She calls this process immersive and highly focused, where clarity emerges through engagement.
She says, “It is like a dance. I go into the zone, and everything goes quiet. It just falls into place. Total harmony.”
According to her, nature remains a central influence in this dialogue. Murray’s early life in the Bahamas informs her visual language, from the fluid geometry of coral reefs to the enduring presence of trees. These elements, she notes, are translated into abstract forms that carry emotional and symbolic weight rather than literal representation.
“There is something very grounding about trees,” she notes. “They are anchored in the ground. Even in a storm, once it calms down, they are still standing there with presence and authority. It is a journey, everything is connected, like a family tree.”
This connection to nature extends into environmental awareness. Murray’s work reflects a cyclical relationship between inspiration and advocacy. Natural ecosystems inform her creations, and in turn, her work draws attention back to those environments, encouraging reflection on their fragility and significance.
Equally important is her refusal to impose a fixed narrative. Murray intentionally avoids prescriptive interpretation, allowing each viewer to engage with the work through their own perspective and emotional state.
In her words, “I never want to be didactic with the titles. The viewer needs to experience it and fill in the space for themselves. Depending on their mood or what they have experienced, they can just sit in front of the piece and calm down. It becomes a meditative process.”
This openness enhances the relevance of her work within a broader cultural context. In an environment defined by speed, immediacy, and constant input, she believes her installations create space for stillness. They encourage audiences to shift from passive consumption to active presence.
Murray’s commitment to accessibility further reinforces this philosophy. Operating independently from traditional gallery systems, she retains control over how her work is distributed and experienced. According to her, this allows her to offer pieces at more accessible price points and to extend her reach through formats such as a coffee table book.
For Murray, art should remain inclusive and experiential. It should exist within everyday environments rather than being confined to exclusive spaces.
Her professional journey reflects a similar independence. From leaving formal education early to building an international practice across multiple cities, her path has been shaped by resilience and continuous evolution. Over time, she says, she has developed both technical mastery and a confident artistic voice.
“I have had a lot of challenges,” she recalls. “But it is how you pick yourself up. Now I feel confident. I feel like I can do this. The feedback I get from the work, even years later, people say it keeps speaking to them, and that keeps me going.”
Extending this ethos beyond her installations, Murray has also introduced a coffee table book, Refractions, that brings her work into everyday spaces, offering a more accessible way to engage with its meditative presence.
Murray’s perspective is clear. Attention is not simply a resource to manage. It is a state to reclaim.
As she says, “Just slow down. Look at the way the sun hits the leaves on a tree or the surface of the water. It is simply majestic.”
