Soil Dwellers exhibition strengthens our relationship with nature
Soil Dwellers exhibition at Villa Elfvik Nature House in Espoo (2.10.–26.11.2025) explores forest soil ecosystems and organisms through visual storytelling sparking curiosity about our interactions with nature.
- We want to provide more understanding how human actions influence forests and soil. Our goal is to inspire thoughts that can help to guide people's actions towards more sustainable solutions and more ecologically sustainable future, says Project Coordinator of the Evolution in Action project Elli Liimatainen at the University of Jyväskylä.
The combination of science and art
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.
Additional program for teachers and educators
In addition to the exhibition, there will be other programs consisting of workshops for schools, guided tours, and a course day on forest soil organisms and biodiversity on October 25, 2025, which is targeted for teachers and educators. The exhibition and other events are free of charge.
- The course program offers teachers and educators interdisciplinary aspects of forest ecosystems, environmental relationships, and the effects of human activity. The program includes lectures by educators, researchers, and artists, spesifies Liimainen.
Registration for the course ends on October 16, 2025 (course is in Finnish).
The programme is available here
The Evolution in Action project provides information about biodiversity
The exhibition and the other programme is organized by the Evolution in Action project at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science at the University of Jyväskylä. 2025-2026 Evolution in Action work as part of MUUMAA project, which is supported by Kone Foundation Metsän puolella grant. The aim of the Evolution in Action project is to promote understanding of evolution, its timescales and how humans impact ecological and evolutionary processes.
- The project combine science, art-based methods, action-based teaching, games and storytelling to ensure learning about biodiversity and evolutionary processes. The project wants to ensure easy access to this information in form of teaching materials and workshops, and promote active participation in maintaining biodiversity, says Liimatainen.
The Evolution in Action project consists of researchers in ecology and evolutionary biology, art educators, and biologists from the Universities of Jyväskylä and Helsinki.
