Institute of Coexistence – Tiio Suorsa

The second exhibition of the WAMx 2022 exhibition series Institute of Coexistence presents Tiio Suorsa’s project To Imagine Their Outlines, which reflects on people’s co-existence with both virtual and natural beings. 

Tiio Suorsa’s project is an exploration between virtual domains and actuality. At the same time, it aims to understand the transformative states of humanity with age, roles, cultures, and genders. The exhibition consists of a video projection Protruding Cavity (2021), plants with proximity sensors and LED lights. The 3D rendered physical matter in the video appears to be searching for its form infinitely. The plants react to people’s proximity and movement with slowly lit and extinguishing LEDs. The lab’s purple artificial growth light is usually intended for plants only. 

The purpose is to ask more than answer

Suorsa’s exhibition encourages us to reflect on how we can coexist with other people, other living creatures, and electronic machines and devices that are increasingly part of our everyday lives. Can we accept ourselves as a constantly changing beings? How do we share a proximity where not everything is predefined? Is it possible to establish mutual communication with beings who are different from us? And are we ready to listen to them? 

Tiio Suorsa is a media artist working in Linz and Turku. Suorsa’s production focuses on endogenous experiences over promoted ones and strives to dismantle the structures and divisions that define our society. A process-like and research-oriented approach is an essential part of the work. Suorsa’s works have been displayed at festivals and galleries, in several European countries, including Ars Electronica Festival in Austria.   

The production of Protruding Cavity has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. Currently, Suorsa’s artistic work is supported by the Kone Foundation.

Photo: Ville Mäkilä, Museum Centre of Turku.