“The Baltic Sea is dying”

Humans’ instinctive reaction to situations of crisis is action, which often takes the form of problem-solving. What can be done to improve the quality of the Baltic Sea? How can we help? Can we even help? As positive as this reaction can be, it can often be overpowering and leave little room to feel and be mindful.

The marine ecosystem of the Baltic Sea is deteriorating and undergoing rapid changes. We wondered how we were able to represent what is gone or dying, and decided to create a space where taking the time to be present and to care for the sea and its inhabitants is encouraged.

For this, we crafted a symbolic funeral ceremony, where death is not an end per se, but another step of the circle of life.

The premiere of our film concluded in a workshop where participants were able to make their own funeral gifts and add them to a raft.

In collaboration with Seo Young Lee, Ariane Carde, Vladimir Elia von Arx, Jonna Rutanen, and Saulus Puukko, 2024.

Exhibited at:

Laboratory of Hope, Marsio, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland, 2026

Designs for a Cooler Planet: Reimagining our future with the Baltic Sea,

Venturo Studio, Espoo, Finland, 2025