Christelle Mas & Olli Uikkanen – Living Interface
Advertisement
Christelle Mas & Olli Uikkanen
Living Interface
17.7.–9.8.2026
Opening/Avajaiset 16.7. 18:00–20:00
Christelle Mas is a French artist based in Oulu, northern Finland. For several years, her artistic research has developed through long-term collaborations with marine scientists, particularly with researchers from the Marine Research Institute in Klaipėda, Lithuania.
Working alongside scientists at sea, in laboratories and through field observations has profoundly shaped her understanding of the Baltic Sea and the environmental transformations affecting marine ecosystems.
The Baltic Sea has become a central source of inspiration in her work. Semi-enclosed and slow to renew its waters, it is one of the world's most intensively studied seas and one of its most vulnerable. Oxygen depletion, pollution and expanding dead zones make it a living laboratory for understanding ecological change.
The exhibition brings together physical and digital works inspired by microscopic marine life and scientific imaging.
Using microscopy, environmental data and marine samples, Christelle Mas creates hybrid organisms that exist between scientific observation and speculation.
Scientific imagery is processed through the 3D visualisation software Imaris, a tool commonly used by researchers to reconstruct biological structures from imaging data. The resulting forms are printed on paper and textile, cut by hand and reassembled into large-scale photocollages.
At the centre of the exhibition is Oceanaia, a speculative scientific interactive interface populated by hybrid marine species.
Through a scientific interface, visitors can observe, classify and navigate these organisms as if exploring a living database.
The work reflects on how contemporary technologies shape our understanding of nature. Marine data is extracted from physical environments through sensors, seabed mapping, sediment cores and biological sampling before being transformed into digital models and visualisations. The digital is never separate from the physical; each depends on the other.
By combining scientific methods, speculative fiction and material collage, Christelle Mas explores a post-digital condition in which ecological systems, data and living organisms become increasingly intertwined.
This research continues through projects across the Baltic region, including participation in Imagining Godzilla, an art-and-science residency aboard the sailing catamaran Godzilla, where artists and researchers collectively investigate the ecological futures of the Baltic Sea while travelling through its waters. It also extends to the UPDATE Festival in Liepāja, Latvia, a Baltic coastal city and future European Capital of Culture 2027, which brings together media art, science and ecological research.
Curated by Ramiro Camelo.
Scientific advisors Ieva Sakovskaja, Olga Berežnova, Donata Overlingė, Mikko Finnilä, Veli-Pekka Ronkainen, Ville-Pauli Karjalainen.
Developed in collaboration with researchers from the Marine Research Institute (Klaipėda University, Lithuania), the University of Oulu and Oulu Biocenter, Finland.
Supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike).
____________________________________________________________________________
Living Interface
17.7.–9.8.2026
Opening/Avajaiset 16.7. 18:00–20:00
Christelle Mas is a French artist based in Oulu, northern Finland. For several years, her artistic research has developed through long-term collaborations with marine scientists, particularly with researchers from the Marine Research Institute in Klaipėda, Lithuania.
Working alongside scientists at sea, in laboratories and through field observations has profoundly shaped her understanding of the Baltic Sea and the environmental transformations affecting marine ecosystems.
The Baltic Sea has become a central source of inspiration in her work. Semi-enclosed and slow to renew its waters, it is one of the world's most intensively studied seas and one of its most vulnerable. Oxygen depletion, pollution and expanding dead zones make it a living laboratory for understanding ecological change.
The exhibition brings together physical and digital works inspired by microscopic marine life and scientific imaging.
Using microscopy, environmental data and marine samples, Christelle Mas creates hybrid organisms that exist between scientific observation and speculation.
Scientific imagery is processed through the 3D visualisation software Imaris, a tool commonly used by researchers to reconstruct biological structures from imaging data. The resulting forms are printed on paper and textile, cut by hand and reassembled into large-scale photocollages.
At the centre of the exhibition is Oceanaia, a speculative scientific interactive interface populated by hybrid marine species.
Through a scientific interface, visitors can observe, classify and navigate these organisms as if exploring a living database.
The work reflects on how contemporary technologies shape our understanding of nature. Marine data is extracted from physical environments through sensors, seabed mapping, sediment cores and biological sampling before being transformed into digital models and visualisations. The digital is never separate from the physical; each depends on the other.
By combining scientific methods, speculative fiction and material collage, Christelle Mas explores a post-digital condition in which ecological systems, data and living organisms become increasingly intertwined.
This research continues through projects across the Baltic region, including participation in Imagining Godzilla, an art-and-science residency aboard the sailing catamaran Godzilla, where artists and researchers collectively investigate the ecological futures of the Baltic Sea while travelling through its waters. It also extends to the UPDATE Festival in Liepāja, Latvia, a Baltic coastal city and future European Capital of Culture 2027, which brings together media art, science and ecological research.
Curated by Ramiro Camelo.
Scientific advisors Ieva Sakovskaja, Olga Berežnova, Donata Overlingė, Mikko Finnilä, Veli-Pekka Ronkainen, Ville-Pauli Karjalainen.
Developed in collaboration with researchers from the Marine Research Institute (Klaipėda University, Lithuania), the University of Oulu and Oulu Biocenter, Finland.
Supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike).
____________________________________________________________________________
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Uudenmaankatu 23 F, 00120 Helsinki, Finland, Uudenmaankatu 23, FI-00120 Helsinki, Suomi, Helsinki, Finland
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherMyymälä2
