Solarophytes

Installation views by Ansis Starks

Solarophytes is an exhibition by Maija Savolainen at ISSP Riga. I was part of the production team with musician Artturi Taira and biologist Titta Kotilainen. I designed and built sound reactive kinetic sculptures and robots and implemented an interactive sound installation together with the production team. The sound installation is a partly generative sound scape controlled on sunlight and time of day and based on compositions of Artturi Taira. The sound installation is running on Pure Data and Raspberry Pi.

More details on Maija Savolainen’s website.

Following text is by ISSP:

ISSP gallery, Riga, LV, 27.9.–3.11.2018

What if we imagine vision as a decentralized, collective, sensuous gesture? What if it was not acquired through specialized optical organs such as eyes, but embedded in the bodily being-in-the-world? What if seeing was not the ultimate form of perception? What if photography as a tool of vision was not representational?

The name of Finnish artist Maija Annikki Savolainen’s exhibition “Solarophytes” is derived from the terms “solar”- (relating to or determined by the sun) and “-phytes” (a reference to a plant or plant-like organism), and focuses on photographic processes that are not within the visible range of electromagnetic radiation. Alongside photographs, the artist makes use of sculpture, sound, especially designed robots and natural materials, all of which are interconnected. The transition of light from one form to another is the essence of photography - radiation leaves traces on photosensitive, tangible material, such as photographic film or a digital sensor, but it also affects plants that absorb light, using it as an energy source.

The exhibition was created in collaboration with musician Artturi Taira, media artist Otso Sorvettula and biologist Titta Kotilainen.