Our open call for the Tokyo & Art Science Research Residency 2025 received many excellent applications. We want to thank each applicant for their interest in the Tokyo Art & Science Research Residency. We invited four candidates for the interview round. In the end, artist Santtu Laine was selected for this opportunity.
During his residency, Laine wants to experiment with using marine bacteria to carve and shape bioplastics. He will also explore how bacteria can be used for bio-etching to create organic patterns on the bioplastic surface. Laine is interested in how we can use marine bacteria to selectively degrade or bio-etch patterns into seaweed-based bioplastics and how different factors influence the precision and time of this process.
Additionally, Laine is keen to learn about the traditional methods of processing Japanese tengusa-seaweed (Gelidium amansii) and the production of kanten. He hopes that studying these traditional practices would enhance his own processes with seaweeds, but also inspire new ideas and improved techniques, all while honoring the craftsmanship of the past.
Whilst in Japan, Laine also plans to conduct field trips to coastal areas to collect samples from water and degrading seaweed as well as visit sites of traditional kanten production.
“I am honoured to have been selected for the Tokyo Art & Science Research Residency. I look forward to immersing myself in Japan’s rich cultural and scientific environment and to further developing my research in an international setting”, Santtu comments.
Santtu Laine is a Finnish multidisciplinary artist based in Helsinki, Finland. Working across installation, sculpture and moving image, Laine’s practice focuses on exploring alternative and sustainable methods of art-making, with a particular emphasis on bioplastics derived from seaweed. Laine holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Time and Space Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, and a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from BTK University of Art & Design in Berlin. His work reflects a deep commitment to ecological awareness, integrating innovative materials and processes to address humanity’s relationship with the environment.
Laine will travel to Japan for the residency later in 2025.
The selection committee consisted of members of the BioClub Tokyo, The Finnish Institute in Japan and the Bioart Society. The residency will be hosted by BioClub Tokyo in partnership with the Finnish Institute in Japan.
Photo credits:
1. Aino Huhtaniemi
2. Santtu Laine
3. Alan Dimmick
4. Santtu Laine
5. Rachael Allain
6. Santtu Laine