News
Workshop | Plankton Ecosystems | Meike Vogt | Riikka Tauriainen | Kunstmuseum St. Gallen
«
An Inclusive Science-Art Journey into the Imaginary
World of Plankton»
Art and science both make us think and rethink the world. In a creative dialogue between science and art, Meike Vogt, senior scientist and Riikka Tauriainen decided to tell the story of plankton and its fundamental role for marine life and climate.
For “Experimental Ecology”, a traveling exhibition displayed most recently at external pageSt Gallen’s Kunstmuseum, they created a visual installation named “Plankton Imaginary”.
On Nov. 3rd, they also organized an all-day open arts lab and a two-hour arts-meets-science workshop in the exhibition space.
The open arts lab offered a wide range of activities that invited participants to imagine, create, feel, and experiment with science. They could sculpt their own plankton specie with clay, craft a jelly fish with rice lamps and colored tissue, draw plankton inspired by live sample from local lakes and an artistic plankton movie using citizen science microscopes, and explore the effects of ocean acidification through hands-on experiments.
62 families, spanning all age groups, took part in the interactive open arts lab. Eleven more people participated in the Science-Art workshop which started with a presentation introducing the different art pieces of the installation. This was followed by drawing exercises and a round-table discussion about plankton, life, and the universe.
Overall, a very successful day where science and art came together to ignite curiosity and inspire new perspectives on the world.
pictures: Riikka Tauriainen & Meike Vogt
«
An Inclusive Science-Art Journey into the Imaginary
World of Plankton»
Art and science both make us think and rethink the world. In a creative dialogue between science and art, Meike Vogt, senior scientist and Riikka Tauriainen decided to tell the story of plankton and its fundamental role for marine life and climate.
For “Experimental Ecology”, a traveling exhibition displayed most recently at external pageSt Gallen’s Kunstmuseum, they created a visual installation named “Plankton Imaginary”.
On Nov. 3rd, they also organized an all-day open arts lab and a two-hour arts-meets-science workshop in the exhibition space.
The open arts lab offered a wide range of activities that invited participants to imagine, create, feel, and experiment with science. They could sculpt their own plankton specie with clay, craft a jelly fish with rice lamps and colored tissue, draw plankton inspired by live sample from local lakes and an artistic plankton movie using citizen science microscopes, and explore the effects of ocean acidification through hands-on experiments.
62 families, spanning all age groups, took part in the interactive open arts lab. Eleven more people participated in the Science-Art workshop which started with a presentation introducing the different art pieces of the installation. This was followed by drawing exercises and a round-table discussion about plankton, life, and the universe.
Overall, a very successful day where science and art came together to ignite curiosity and inspire new perspectives on the world.
pictures: Riikka Tauriainen & Meike Vogt
Fieldtrip | Plankton Ecosystems | Marta Musso | Franco Borgogno (ERI)
«Connecting Mountains to the Sea»
Last October, the EcoArtLab was able to go on an exciting research trip from the Italian Alps to the Mediterranean sea as part of the Pro Helvetia Synergies project «Plankton Ecosystems».
Organised by Riikka Tauriainen, together with marine biologist Marta Musso and Franco Borgogno from the European Research Institute (ERI), they were able to explore how terrestrial and marine ecosystems are connected and what role location plays in biodiversity.
To this end, various water samples were used to analyse how plankton develops downstream in order to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between land and sea.
pictures: Thubten Shontshang
video: Marta Musso
«Connecting Mountains to the Sea»
Last October, the EcoArtLab was able to go on an exciting research trip from the Italian Alps to the Mediterranean sea as part of the Pro Helvetia Synergies project «Plankton Ecosystems».
Organised by Riikka Tauriainen, together with marine biologist Marta Musso and Franco Borgogno from the European Research Institute (ERI), they were able to explore how terrestrial and marine ecosystems are connected and what role location plays in biodiversity.
To this end, various water samples were used to analyse how plankton develops downstream in order to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between land and sea.
pictures: Thubten Shontshang
video: Marta Musso
Event Series: „Matter(s) that Matter“ | Zurich University of the Arts | Riikka Tauriainen
«Queering Materiality: Learning from Fluid Networks»
Wednesday, January 22nd
17:15
Toni-Areal, Seminarraum 4.T37
Pfingstweidstrasse 96, Zürich
Check the full programm of its series
What happens when we zoom into the biological and chemical bodies of water and examine water‘s transformative journey through diverse ecosystems? How does water‘s fluidity challenge fixed notions of agency, identity and nature itself?
As a vibrant and relational material, water challenges anthropocentric and heteronormative perspectives and embodies queerness through its fluidity and interconnectedness. This approach not only queers our perceptions of ‚nature‘, but also reveals its performative role as a carrier of meaning and matter—whether through its microbiome, carbon-binding capacity, or circulatory nature.
«Queering Materiality: Learning from Fluid Networks»
Wednesday, January 22nd
17:15
Toni-Areal, Seminarraum 4.T37
Pfingstweidstrasse 96, Zürich
Check the full programm of its series
What happens when we zoom into the biological and chemical bodies of water and examine water‘s transformative journey through diverse ecosystems? How does water‘s fluidity challenge fixed notions of agency, identity and nature itself?
As a vibrant and relational material, water challenges anthropocentric and heteronormative perspectives and embodies queerness through its fluidity and interconnectedness. This approach not only queers our perceptions of ‚nature‘, but also reveals its performative role as a carrier of meaning and matter—whether through its microbiome, carbon-binding capacity, or circulatory nature.
As a guest at the Zurich University of the Arts, Riikka Tauriainen will be Drawing on underwater cinematography and hydrophone recordings, while the talk will focus on plankton - the ‚drifters‘ of the sea. These microscopic organisms, fundamental to marine ecosystems, embody queerness through their adaptability and relational existence.
interdisciplinary conference „Re_Searching for Social Arts“ | Institute Interpretation HKB:
«Plankton Ecosystems and Situated Learning in Fluid Networks»
Wednesday, January 15
10.30-12.30
HKB, Kammermusiksaal
Papiermühlestr. 13a, Bern
Check the full Programm
Focusing on the intersection of oceanic literacy, artistic practices, and mediation, the thesis investigates how collaborations between art and science can contribute to the care of bodies of water. It analyses EcoArtLab’s intervention “Plankton Ecosystems – Shaping the Narrative of Climate Change” through artistic research. In collaboration with experts in environmental science, marine biology, and visual art, it explores plankton’s role in marine ecosystems and its impact on climate. The project integrates art and community science to deepen understanding of aquatic ecosystems through participatory formats such as study groups, talks, and workshops.
The research methodology is grounded in artistic research and uses situated approaches to studying aquatic ecosystems. Through film, storytelling, and sensory experiences of water, like diving, it explores how these practices can connect imagination, emotion, and physical reality. It also investigates community science practices, examining how they can democratise scientific knowledge and promote relational ecological practices.
This presentation will focus on the key principles and the practical part of Riikkas doctoral research, as well as addressing the question of why Riikka works with plankton. The presentation will contextualise the seemingly mundane role of plankton and highlight its exceptional forms of life.
the presentation will be held in english
about the conference:
The national, interdisciplinary conference combines research and practice in cultural mediation and explores various approaches to participation. The focus is on the two questions of how art can be experienced and shaped in an intensive way and to what extent social and scientific potential can be discovered and utilised in the process. A particular focus will be on inclusion and specific approaches to barrier-free cultural participation.
The programme includes lectures, a research / ideas workshop and contributions from ongoing student projects with elderly people.
Languages: chacun·e sa langue.
«Plankton Ecosystems and Situated Learning in Fluid Networks»
Wednesday, January 15
10.30-12.30
HKB, Kammermusiksaal
Papiermühlestr. 13a, Bern
Check the full Programm
Focusing on the intersection of oceanic literacy, artistic practices, and mediation, the thesis investigates how collaborations between art and science can contribute to the care of bodies of water. It analyses EcoArtLab’s intervention “Plankton Ecosystems – Shaping the Narrative of Climate Change” through artistic research. In collaboration with experts in environmental science, marine biology, and visual art, it explores plankton’s role in marine ecosystems and its impact on climate. The project integrates art and community science to deepen understanding of aquatic ecosystems through participatory formats such as study groups, talks, and workshops.
The research methodology is grounded in artistic research and uses situated approaches to studying aquatic ecosystems. Through film, storytelling, and sensory experiences of water, like diving, it explores how these practices can connect imagination, emotion, and physical reality. It also investigates community science practices, examining how they can democratise scientific knowledge and promote relational ecological practices.
This presentation will focus on the key principles and the practical part of Riikkas doctoral research, as well as addressing the question of why Riikka works with plankton. The presentation will contextualise the seemingly mundane role of plankton and highlight its exceptional forms of life.
the presentation will be held in english
about the conference:
The national, interdisciplinary conference combines research and practice in cultural mediation and explores various approaches to participation. The focus is on the two questions of how art can be experienced and shaped in an intensive way and to what extent social and scientific potential can be discovered and utilised in the process. A particular focus will be on inclusion and specific approaches to barrier-free cultural participation.
The programme includes lectures, a research / ideas workshop and contributions from ongoing student projects with elderly people.
Languages: chacun·e sa langue.
public lecture series „Social Issues - Spatial Issues“ | Department of Geography and Environment | Université Genève :
«Méthodes créatives, méthodes indisciplinées?»
Ou comment faire de la recherche autrement en geographie
Thursday, October 31st
12.30-14.00
Conferences open to all Room 1 (ground floor)
66 Boulevard Carl-Vogt
The autumn 2024 edition of the Department of Geography and Environment‘s public lecture series „Social Issues - Spatial Issues“ will explore the wide range of qualitative methods used in geography research, going beyond conventionally accepted survey methods such as interviews.
Drawing on contributions from researchers who use what are considered to be creative methods, the aim is to illustrate the many ways in which knowledge can be produced, while at the same time examining what these methods can bring to research, what is at stake, and the possible limits of this new creative enthusiasm.
Yvonne Schmidt, will contribute with a lecture giving insights into the SNSF-Research Project „Eco Art Lab: Relational Encounters between the Arts and Climate Research“
the presentation will be held in english
