2023. Installation, pigment prints, wood, glass, paint, frames.

The installation portrays human brain organoids, their age ranging from 8 to 12 weeks. Brain organoids are artificially grown, self-organizing three-dimensional tissues that resemble the human brain. The installation includes an essay by Maija Tammi that combines cultural history of the brain, theoretical science and science fiction.

The images are UV-printed on glass, and the glass plates are placed in the middle of the deep frames. The frames are painted with the blackest black paint in the inside thus making the brains seem like they are floating in a void, which in turn is a playful reference to the Boltzmann Brain theory.

Installation view at Vasli Souza gallery, Oslo, Norway. Installation image by KUNSTDOK / Tor S. Ulstein.
Installation image. Empathy Machine exhibition at The Finnish Museum of Photography, March 30 – August 27, 2023. Photograph by Angel Gil.

These brain organoids were grown for research purposes at the Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE at the University of Helsinki. Takashi Namba’s research group investigates human brain development to find novel causes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Matilde Aquilino, a PhD student in Namba’s group, is utilizing brain organoids to evaluate the role of cell metabolism in brain development.