Zostera Marina – In the Sea of Change stems from the collaboration project between art and science implemented by Elin&Keino in 2016–2018. The other parties involved in the Zostera Marina pilot project were Christoffer Boström, Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Marine Biology at Åbo Akademi University, and Archipelago Centre Korpoström in Korpo. The project reworked the co-operation model between art and science. This pilot project on seagrasses and climate change has been completed, but work on seagrasses is ongoing.
The works of art are based on peeks into the underwater world. An impressively beautiful seagrass meadow at the bottom of the sea made artists reflect on how unknown this important ecosystem is to humans. The meadows are rich in oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide but are a rather poorly known factor in the climate change debate. The aim of Elin&Keino is to increase environmental awareness and highlight the value of the Baltic Sea by means of art.
The exhibition features new works by both artists as well as previous works by the duo, such as Insertio, a large-scale installation that was placed at the bottom of the sea near the island of Fårö. The work was constructed by imitating the artificial seagrass elements used by marine biologists at Åbo Akademi University. The swinging seagrasses in Artificial Meadow remind us of the mesmerizing dance of light and movement on the seabed. In Breath, a boy inhales and exhales synchronously with the movement of seagrasses, referring to the role of the sea as a producer of oxygen.
The Zostera Marina pilot project was supported by Kone Foundation, the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, Konstsamfundet, Niilo Helander Foundation and the Finnish Foundation for Nature Conservation’s Rafael Kuusakoski Memorial Fund.
heininieminen.com/elinkeino
sandranyberg.com/elinkeino-collaboration
Photo: Elin&Keino: Insertio