Subterra
Data Sheet
Credits: Glass Studio Lasismi: Kaappo Lähdesmäki, Jani Malin, Jari Jokiaho, Kimmo Reinikka Videos: Marcela Moreno, Footage and Editing; Alfonso Viquez, Color Correction; Ollin Miranda, Camera Assistant Scientific imaging and Time-based Media Contributors: Marcela Moreno; PhD Yiyang Ding, University of Helsinki; PhD Pauliina Schiestl-Aalto, University of Helsinki/INAR; Tuula Niskanen, Xiaolan He, Leena Myllys, Magdalena Held & Jaana Bäck, University of Helsinki; Research Scientist Timo Domisch, Natural Resources Institute Finland Sound compositions: Concepción Huerta Rhizotrons Prototype and technical consulting: Dr. Vicente Espinosa Hernandez is a Senior Research Professor at Colegio de Postgraduados, Mexico; Dr. Juan Espinoza González at Colegio de Postgraduados, Mexico Fungal Cultivation Support: Prof. Ramón Víctor Moreno Torres, Geneticist, UNAM, Mexico Estudio Tania Candiani: Gerardo Zapata, Studio Manager; Flavio Bórguez; Roberto Mosco; Piedad Yañez; Carlos Cisneros RAC; Alejandra Salazar; Melissa Cárdenas; Guadalupe Páramo; Marisela Galicia; Raúl Pavón; Yolchicahuaxochitl Lira. installation: metal, glass, wood, plants, nets, original sound compositions, video Glass Studio Lasismi: Kaappo Lähdesmäki, Jani Malin, Jari Jokiaho, Kimmo Reinikka Videos: Marcela Moreno, Footage and Editing; Alfonso Viquez, Color Correction; Ollin Miranda, Camera Assistant Scientific imaging and Time-based Media Contributors: Marcela Moreno; PhD Yiyang Ding, University of Helsinki; PhD Pauliina Schiestl-Aalto, University of Helsinki/INAR; Tuula Niskanen, Xiaolan He, Leena Myllys, Magdalena Held & Jaana Bäck, University of Helsinki; Research Scientist Timo Domisch, Natural Resources Institute Finland Sound compositions: Concepción Huerta Rhizotrons Prototype and technical consulting: Dr. Vicente Espinosa Hernandez is a Senior Research Professor at Colegio de Postgraduados, Mexico; Dr. Juan Espinoza González at Colegio de Postgraduados, Mexico Fungal Cultivation Support: Prof. Ramón Víctor Moreno Torres, Geneticist, UNAM, Mexico Estudio Tania Candiani: Gerardo Zapata, Studio Manager; Flavio Bórguez; Roberto Mosco; Piedad Yañez; Carlos Cisneros RAC; Alejandra Salazar; Melissa Cárdenas; Guadalupe Páramo; Marisela Galicia; Raúl Pavón; Yolchicahuaxochitl Lira. Commisioned by Helsinki Biennial by Helsinki Biennial
DETALLES DEL PROYECTO
Subterra is an immersive, multi-sensory installation that explores the hidden architectures of forest ecosystems and the vital, unseen forces that sustain life underground. The work unfolds across two symmetrical, vaulted chambers, each offering a distinct yet interconnected experience of light, sound, and organic transformation.
In the right-hand chamber, twelve rhizotrons—scientific observation devices used to study root systems—form the heart of the installation. Constructed specifically for this project, six rhizotrons line each side of the space, containing living plants and shrubs selected from the native flora of Vallisaari and Finnish forests. Together, they form a miniature forest within the gallery. At the far end, a circular video—evoking a porthole—presents a continuous time-lapse of root systems, fungal networks, and underground life in motion. The camera consistently moves downward, drawing the viewer deeper into the earth. The soundscape, composed of low-frequency, subsonic vibrations, evokes subterranean resonance and is spatialized across four channels, enveloping the viewer in a sonic excavation of the forest floor.
The left-hand chamber mirrors this configuration but shifts focus to the internal life of imagined organisms. Sixteen hand-blown glass sculptures—each unique in form—represent speculative biological systems. Composed of earth-derived materials such as silica and feldspar, these illuminated sculptures cast light onto the vaulted architecture, activating the space with rhythmic pulsations. At the back of the chamber, another circular video shows vividly colored life forms opening and closing in breathing, wave-like patterns, as though animating the glass sculptures themselves. A second quadraphonic composition builds slowly in brightness and tonal complexity, layering melodic fragments into high-frequency harmonic chants.
Throughout Subterra, Candiani creates a world in which glass, sound, and living systems converge to express a poetics of permeability. By adapting scientific tools like rhizotrons and composing within the frequencies of both human and non-human perception, the installation reveals a choreography of interdependence—rooted, luminous, and always in transformation.
Commisioned by Helsinki Biennial by Helsinki Biennial
