Soil Dwellers

Exhibition at Villa Elfvik Nature House, Espoo
2. 10. – 26. 11. 2025

What is the invisible life beneath the forest floor? How do we form a connection with what remains unseen? In what ways are soil, forests, and microbes intertwined with the wellbeing of our planet? 

Exhibition is looking at these questions together with artists Liina Aalto-Setälä, Alma Heikkilä, Riikka Keränen and Teemu Lehmusruusu – whose artworks and practises are deeply rooted with forest multispecies communities through connective notions, play, research, and storytelling. Here the soil keeps on grounding as a partner in the artist’s process, while its organisms intertwine forming subtle, dreamlike suggestions of life.

The exhibition and public program creates a dialogue with art and science, the artists and the MUUMAA researchers, asking: How do human activities shape the diversity of forest soil microbial communities, and how could we understand the soil differently? The exhibition looks at forest soil ecosystems and its organisms through imagination, speculation and visual narratives, raising curiosity about our coexistence with them. 

​The public program of the exhibition consisted of workshops for schools, guided tours, and Forest soil organisms and biodiversity course day (held in Finnish) for teachers and educators.

Exhibition publication available here (pdf). 
You can also read our correspondences with each artist here:
Liina Aalto-Setälä
Alma Heikkilä
Saana Kataja-aho
Teemu Lehmusruusu
Riikka Keränen

Guided tours:
Sun 2.11. (in English) & Sun 23.11. (in Finnish) at 13:00.

About the team:
In 2024 – 2028 Evolution in Action team collaborates with MUUMAA researchers. MUUMAA is studying the interaction between forest microbial communities and humans. The project will provide new data on how human activities shape the diversity of forest soil microbial communities, the well-being of other species living in forests and the possible disease threat to humans. The Evolution in Action team will develop and provide environmental and art education to increase the understanding of the complex interactions of forest ecosystems and to strengthen children’s and young people’s relationship with nature. Beside producing teaching materials we will organize an exhibition and other public events and workshops both for school children, teachers and the wider audience.

Project is supported by:
Metsän puolella (Kone Foundation), Jyväskylä University, University of Helsinki, City of Espoo