News

Gradually decomposing bioart challenges permanent design

Outdoor artwork by the winners of the Campus Art competition, Aalto University alums Jenna Ahonen and Ayda Grišiūtė, will eventually return to nature. Named bio.modules.way, it can now be seen in the Undergraduate Centre, to be installed next to Dipoli later
Two young people are looking upwards and smiling with mouths closed, behind an installation they designed. Art is made of wood and biopolymer flowers.
Ayda Grišiūtė (left) and Jenna Ahonen gazing at their creation, an installation called bio.modules.way. Image: Outi Turpeinen

Aalto University launched an invited art competition in 2020, with the aim of which is to get feasible proposals for works of art found on the Otaniemi campus. There were two winning entries: bio.modules.way and Quantum Moss. The first one has arrived to Otaniemi campus. 

Designed and created by Aalto University alums Jenna Ahonen and Ayda Grišiūtė, bio.modules.way is temporarily on the second floor outside the auditorium B in the Undergraduate Centre. The piece will later be installed next to Dipoli when the outdoor renovation project near it is completed.  

Ahonen and Grišiūtė aim to design for decay as a critical part of a sustainable lifecycle for art. The artists were also able to set up a company during commission and plan to continue developing projects in the future together. 

Two young people are installing a wooden structure of their artpiece. Both are facing to the right and the one in the front is holding a drill, while the one in the back holds the frame. They are indoors.
Ayda Grišiūtė (left) and Jenna Ahonen installing bio.modules.way. Image: Outi Turpeinen

Best experienced in person 

The installation is composed of two main elements: the wooden structure as the skeleton and the tiles made from a frame and a bioplastic infill as the flesh. The piece expresses the evolution of woodcraft and its materiality in all its different forms. The skeleton itself as wood, the frames as 3D printed wood-based filament, and the bioplastic including cellulose as a main co-polymer in the formula.  

According to Ahonen and Grišiūtė, the shape of the tiles comes from a vegetative bud sprouting from its supportive stem. While not yet a leaf, the buds symbolise a transitional moment of growth and development for plants. 

Installation bio.modules.way in a temporary place inside Undergraduate Centre.
bio.modules.way is temporarily in the Undergraduate Centre while waiting for the outdoor renovation project outside Dipoli to be completed. Image: Outi Turpeinen

The tiles will continuously change according to the local environmental conditions near Dipoli, the installation will offer a unique experience at different times. The artists encourage everyone to visit bio.modules.way several times during all kinds of weather and throughout different seasons. Visitors can also very gently touch the tiles to see how they change. 

Return to nature 

Airy and nature-inspired, the installation is very approachable and welcoming. bio.modules.way will at its final site invite the bypasser to take a closer look at how it gradually returns to nature. As the piece changes over time, the artists will record the process in a series of photographs.  

bio.modules.way will biodegrade in phases – from the flesh of the tiles first to the underlying wooden structural skeleton at the end. The piece was designed to challenge our understanding of permanence within the built environment. When scaled up, it creates a breathing architecture that adapts to and activates specific site conditions rather than tries to control them. 

Reactive to local weather conditions, the tiles, or bio.modules, expand and contract based on their internal moisture levels, continuously shifting the geometry of the individual tile. The changes to the artwork will be visible after it has been installed to its final location next to Dipoli.  

The vision of public art at Aalto University  

In 2017, Aalto University decided to comply with a one per cent art principle in its building projects. The campus art competition is the university’s fifth project, where approximately one per cent of a building project's allocation is allocated to art purchases. The one per cent art principle was first applied to the Radical Nature art concept in Aalto University’s main building, Dipoli.    

The vision of public art at Aalto University is to address and raise questions about what it is to be a university, what we do together in society, and what constitutes the public. Public art is site-specific and connects with the diversity of the university and its post-disciplinary communities. Public artworks reflect this diversity through different art forms, materials, techniques and traditions. 

More information 
Outi Turpeinen, Senior Specialist, art and exhibitions  
[email protected]     
tel. 050 431 4194  

Jenna Ahonen, artist 
[email protected] 

Ayda Grišiūtė, artist 
[email protected] 

Read more

Kampustaidekilpailun tunnus

Winners in the campusart competition rooted in bioart and quantum physics

Laura Piispanen, Noora Heiskanen, Jenna Ahonen and Ayda Grisiute convinced the jury with their creativity.

News
Renata Jakowleff «Blue» 2017, 190 x 160 x 40 cm, glass and steel, assembled Photo: Mikko Raskinen

Public art collections at Aalto University

The aim of public art across Aalto is to create a vibrant environment for experiencing the world through various perspectives and for embracing imagination, intuition, and exploration.

Research & Art
  • Published:
  • Updated:

Read more news

A model walking the catwalk shows off an outfit created by a fashion designer, while audience sits watching the fashion show
Awards and Recognition, Studies, University Published:

Näytös24 was a celebration of creativity and personality

At the annual Aalto University Fashion Show, a total of seven prizes were awarded to fashion students' works. Innovation, high technical skills and sustainability were emphasised in the award criteria.
A!Walk
Campus Published:

A! Walk-Nature Walk to Birdwatching Tower

It's summer in Finland and the forests are full of life and colour. The trip to the Birdwatching Tower was not only a birdwatching trip, but also a conversation about culture and nature...
Designer Noora Yau's shimmering wood chrystals. Photo: Mikko Raskinen
Campus, Research & Art Published:

From space technology and shimmering wood to shapeshifting textiles – explore world-changing research in the brand new Marsio building

The Makers of the Impossible exhibition and the Designs for a Cooler Planet festival will kick off the autumn season at Marsio – Aalto University’s brand new, open-to-all campus venue.
SGT24, Participatory outdoor planning as a valuable tool for building trust with local people, Brazil-2024. Source: Karolin Kull
Research & Art, Studies, University Published:

Transforming interdisciplinary education: Sustainable Global Technologies (SGT) across four continents

The true impact of our actions often unfolds over time, as demonstrated by the students at the SGT FAIR’24 on May 22. Their work showcased how a single student challenge can drive significant change.