The Helsinki-based artist Santtu Laine was awarded the 2023 Ecologies in the Making residency. This residency is the second in a four year programme developed by the Academy of Fine Arts Uniarts Helsinki, Cove Park and Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW).
The residencies are designed to focus upon making practices at a time of climate breakdown and are aimed at MFA alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts, particularly those with sculptural methods or material processes. The programme supports research and the development of new work, and Santtu will be based at Cove Park for eight weeks, with the opportunity to develop new projects and connect with students and tutors at Glasgow School of Art, before moving to SSW for a further eight weeks and the opportunity to produce new work in the residency’s workshop.
Santtu Laine is an artist and photographer. His work often deals with sociological and cultural phenomenons in modern society and his work often depicts people and places affected by these invisible structures. Santtu combines creatively different techniques and is constantly searching new forms of expression. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from the BTK University of Art & Design, Berlin, and a Masters in Time and Space Arts, from The Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki.
Writing on this award Santtu states: ‘The residency at Cove Park and the Scottish Sculpture Workshop offers me a great opportunity to find and learn new perspectives. The residency allows an extension of my research, where I look for ways to make art with sustainable materials and methods. During my residency period, I will work with bioplastics made from local materials.’
We would like to thank our colleagues at SSW and in Helsinki for this collaboration. The project is made possible by a donation to Uniarts Helsinki from the Saastamoinen Foundation.
Further information is available on the Uniarts website.
Image of above: courtesy of the artist
Image below: Natural organic reduction (2021), courtesy of the artist
