Aquaphobia is a short, 7 minute first-person poetic artwork, connecting inner psychological landscapes to exterior ecosystems. Beginning in the subterranean mud tunnels of Redhook, Brooklyn, a morphing water microbe guides the viewer on a journey through roots, water, plants, and sub-city infrastructure. The microbe recites a poem which details a troubled break-up between itself and the viewer. The piece connects the fear of water to our current ecological situation by exploring humanity’s relationship to rising sea levels. Originally made in VR in 2017, in 2023 Aquaphobia makes its premier as a first-person poetic experience - the first part of a series of published works by Jakob Kudsk Steensen.