Societas Luminis (FI) – Valo, jota emme näe

Event Introduction

Human vision is limited. For us, the world is perceived as colours, which are created by the wavelengths of visible light. But behind visible light there are shorter wavelengths, ultraviolet radiation, which insects, for example, can see. Within the familiar world is another world, invisible to us. 

Ultraviolet radiation reveals invisible patterns and shapes in flowers that direct pollinator insects to the parts of the plant that are important to them. Ultraviolet radiation causes some materials to glow and can highlight or change the colour of plants. In addition, some insects use UV radiation as an aid to navigation. 

Valo, jota emme näe is a dive into a world to which we are normally blind. It presents familiar roadside, meadow and woodland plants in colours reflecting UV radiation. The projected video work is a fairytale journey through the eyes of an insect, where imaginative colours come true.

The Societas Luminis collective is an interdisciplinary artistic group whose members have long worked in the fields of audiovisual communication, art and science.

Matti Riikonen
Matti Riikonen directs and designs audiovisual performances, installations and spaces in both domestic and international projects. He has also worked as a graphic designer, illustrator and stage designer. 

Heikki Helanterä
Heikki Helanterä is Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Genomics at the Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu. He has also co-authored a popular science book, The Great Finnish Ant Book, with Katja Bargum (Minerva, 2019). 

Kimmo Syväri
Kimmo Syväri is a Helsinki-based photographer and art practitioner. He has been involved in building visual storytelling for many Finnish brands. 

Markku Mäkelä
Markku Mäkelä is an award-winning composer, producer and sound designer. Markku composes music and soundscapes for films and spaces.

In co-operation with:

UPM-Kymmene Cultural Foundation

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Lux 2024

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