Take a trip to a lost island. The 'Expedition 1824' exhibition is on display at the PopUp balcony of the Natural History Museum from June 19 to September 29, 2024. In collaboration with Luomus and the Helinä Rautavaara Museum, sculptor-biologist Ville Heimala has curated an exhibition that forms a dialogue between science and art.
The first part of the exhibition introduces you to authentic natural and ethnological museum specimens. These items offer glimpses into the nature and cultures of the Polynesian and Papua New Guinean regions in particular. What plants and animals have evolved on the islands? What has been the role of nature for humans and how have natural materials been used in different cultures? What have been the influences of the Western culture that has arrived with the expeditions?
On the other hand, the art exhibition presents the artist’s personal interpretation of the evolutionary processes of both nature and culture. This is expressed through an expedition to a fictional Pacific island in 1824. The material collected during this expedition is fragmentary and poorly documented. The island later disappeared without a trace. What was the nature of the island like? What was the island's culture like? What happened to the island - or did it ever exist at all?
About the artist
Ville Heimala is a biologist (FM) and visual artist (TaK), whose interests include nature - animals, plants and other organisms, as well as processes in nature. He is also particularly interested in the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples and its impact on their art.
Facebook & Instagram @villeheimala
www.villeheimala.com