Desert Botanical Garden invites guests to experience the Sonoran Desert like never before with FRAMERATE: Desert Pulse — a multi-sensory art exhibition by London-based artists ScanLAB Projects. Featuring five monumental video installations composed of thousands of high-resolution images, this transformative experience explores the pulse of the desert through photography, motion and sound to awaken a deeper appreciation of the desert.
Desert Pulse premiers Oct. 11, 2025 and runs through May 10, 2026. The exhibit captures a year of transformation across Phoenix, the Garden and the Sonoran Desert using cutting-edge 3D scanning technology. ScanLAB documents the subtle shifts of cactus blooms, sediment flows and seasonal change inviting visitors to see the desert through a new lens.
This bold show has been years in the making, which involved a team of highly-specialized photographers to record scans and photographs of 15 sites across the Valley for one year. Some of the locations include the Tonto National Forest, the Salt River, McDowell Mountain Preserve, as well as a few spots within the Garden.
“Curating Desert Pulse has been a process of peeling back assumptions, inviting the viewer to consider not just what deserts are, but what they represent: resilience, transformation and the unseen networks that sustain life.” said Elaine McGinn, the Garden’s Chief Experience Officer. “The exhibition is not just a display of art — it is a meditation on what it means to belong, to remember, and to reimagine the unique and beautiful place we call home, the Sonoran Desert.”
Desert Pulse continues the Garden’s tradition of presenting world-class art that connects visitors to nature.
“FRAMERATE is a glimpse into the future of cinema, a sobering observation, and a hopeful moment – all at once,” says ScanLAB Projects Director Matt Shaw.
Past blockbuster exhibitions like Chihuly in the Desert, Bruce Munro and Fernando Botero have transformed the Garden into a living gallery. Through these impressive exhibits and ongoing programming, the Garden remains a leader at the intersection of art, culture and conservation.
The exhibit is included with general admission. Member reservations and ticket sales are now open.
