The Microscope Thing
This exhibition brings together a group of researchers and microscope enthusiasts from the School of Art, Design, and Architecture at Aalto University. They have readapted old and partly non-functional microscopes in different ways for alternative and experimental purposes. These works and experiments reimagine and deconstruct the microscope as both a scientific tool and a cultural artifact. Each piece offers a unique perspective on the intersections of science, art, and society, reflecting on the histories, materialities, and philosophical implications of this iconic instrument. The repurposed ‘scopes’ address the borders of what the microscope is thought to be, or how it is thought to function.
We proudly introduce the scope-series:
Laura Beloff (FI) // Monsterscope
Combining a microscope, real-time solar data, and a broiler chicken model, this work critiques industrial farming and the Anthropocene. By inviting viewers to observe cosmic data through the lens of industrialized life, it questions scientific perspectives and their implications for humanity and nature.
Aurora Del Rio (FI / IT) // Dreamscope
Revisiting Brion Gysin’s 1959 "Dreamachine," this piece experiments with altered states of consciousness through a rotating light and shadow device. Observed through a monocular microscope, the light patterns induce the user to enter a hypnagogic state.
Katri Naukkarinen (FI) // Estroscope
Inspired by the gynecological fern test, this participatory artwork invites audiences to observe estrogen at work through crystallizing samples. Offering a delicate lens into hormonal functions of the body, it transforms moments of potential worry into observations of beauty through a scientific visual exploration.
Claudio Filho (BR) // Slideoscope
This oversized reimagining of a microscope slides turns the microscope into its own subject of analysis. By deconstructing and encasing its components in resin, the work critiques the western scientific tendency toward categorization and systematization.
Müge Yildiz (FI / TR) // MicroSCOBY
A multidisciplinary installation that mummifies a damaged microscope using SCOBY leather, symbolizing the fragility of preservation practices and the interplay between microorganisms and archival objects. A ghostly hologram enhances this meditation on microbial life and time-space dynamics.
Takumi Saeki (JP) // Microjector
Blurring the boundaries between cinema and microscopy, this work transforms a microscope into a projector, revealing the subjective and ambiguous nature of scientific representation. By projecting inverted high-resolution images on the retina, it highlights the complexities of objectivity and that it may be inherently ambiguous.
The researchers worked on rethinking the way art, science and technology operate, by challenging ways of seeing, categorizing and measuring in science and technology.
This exhibition is organized by rAt research group in collaboration with: Kris Rijnieks - Aalto Fablab; Juha Linnekoski - School of Chemical Engineering; Larisa Chernyaeva - Biofilia
We proudly introduce the scope-series:
Laura Beloff (FI) // Monsterscope
Combining a microscope, real-time solar data, and a broiler chicken model, this work critiques industrial farming and the Anthropocene. By inviting viewers to observe cosmic data through the lens of industrialized life, it questions scientific perspectives and their implications for humanity and nature.
Aurora Del Rio (FI / IT) // Dreamscope
Revisiting Brion Gysin’s 1959 "Dreamachine," this piece experiments with altered states of consciousness through a rotating light and shadow device. Observed through a monocular microscope, the light patterns induce the user to enter a hypnagogic state.
Katri Naukkarinen (FI) // Estroscope
Inspired by the gynecological fern test, this participatory artwork invites audiences to observe estrogen at work through crystallizing samples. Offering a delicate lens into hormonal functions of the body, it transforms moments of potential worry into observations of beauty through a scientific visual exploration.
Claudio Filho (BR) // Slideoscope
This oversized reimagining of a microscope slides turns the microscope into its own subject of analysis. By deconstructing and encasing its components in resin, the work critiques the western scientific tendency toward categorization and systematization.
Müge Yildiz (FI / TR) // MicroSCOBY
A multidisciplinary installation that mummifies a damaged microscope using SCOBY leather, symbolizing the fragility of preservation practices and the interplay between microorganisms and archival objects. A ghostly hologram enhances this meditation on microbial life and time-space dynamics.
Takumi Saeki (JP) // Microjector
Blurring the boundaries between cinema and microscopy, this work transforms a microscope into a projector, revealing the subjective and ambiguous nature of scientific representation. By projecting inverted high-resolution images on the retina, it highlights the complexities of objectivity and that it may be inherently ambiguous.
The researchers worked on rethinking the way art, science and technology operate, by challenging ways of seeing, categorizing and measuring in science and technology.
This exhibition is organized by rAt research group in collaboration with: Kris Rijnieks - Aalto Fablab; Juha Linnekoski - School of Chemical Engineering; Larisa Chernyaeva - Biofilia
When
–
Where
Väre Lobby