Taking two trees – a surviving tree and a dead tree – in the central forest in Helsinki as a starting point, the project explores hyperspectral imaging and posthuman sensing of the natural environments in the context of the ongoing bark beetle infestation in Northern Europe. Inspired by James Gibson’s notion of environmental affordances and biologist and cybernetician Jakob von Uexküll’s observation of how a tick’s sensory abilities create its own world, the project compares the optical scientific measurements of the forest with the chemical sensing of the living creatures in the woods. Capturing the forest using hyperspectral imaging and laser scanning, I transform the data into different visual forms, which are combined with writings on algorithmic models of seeing and the a-visible complex sensory worlds existing in the forest. The resulting work is a video essay that challenges the human-centric understanding of natural landscapes.

The essay compares the visual space of humans, eagles, and bark beetles, suggesting that each species has its own trade-offs in visibility and acuity. Technological systems also have their Worlds, as they construct their own worlds based on sensor data. The film discusses the limitations of resolution and scale in digital optical devices and how capturing from a great distance may lead to the loss of details.

The work delves into the unseen biological battle between trees and bark beetles, raising questions about what technology can reveal and what remains hidden. The forest contains multiple layers of information, and between the living and dead trees, there are many worlds.

The work is exhibited at Artsi Museum (FI), Kunsthal Aarhus (DN), Galleri Format (SE), Bienal'25 Porto Photography Biennale (PT), Organ Vida Festival (HR), Fotograf Zone (CZ), and JIP Fest (ID).

The artist would like to thank the M-cult for their kind support in the financing and development of the work.