Re:Peat

Re:Peat is a series of works resulting from an art-science collaboration between visual artist Anne Yoncha and researchers Oili Tarvainen, Anne Tolvanen and Anna-Liisa Välimaa of the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The works were shown at the 2020 Art Ii Biennial “Knowledge of the Earth” and in a solo exhibition at Galleria MABD, both in Finland.

The works showcase Yoncha’s observations from the long-term collaboration with the group, highlighting the layered and complex structure of the peatland mat and the relationships between the current moss structures and grass species. The works show the muscular nature of Sphagnum moss when viewed up close, in contrast with the sandy texture of peat ash, the industrial by-product created when burning the peat for fuel and the restoration additive to neutralise soil pH. The colours in the works are created by mixing the peat ash with acrylic paint, for example.

Re:Peat is a recent EDUFI Fulbright Finland Fellowship research project focusing on peatland extraction and restoration in Finland. While peat is an important source of local fuel and jobs, it develops and accumulates so slowly it is not a renewable biofuel. Our project aims to build affinity with this often-hidden ecosystem, and raise questions about how we should engage with post-human landscapes we have forever altered.

Additional photos of the exhibit by JP Manninen:

Click through the images below to see my visit to a conserved peatland, photos of our post-extraction study sites in Latvasuo and Pikkusaarisuo in Northern Ostrobothnia Finland, my first experiences doing field work, the process of making the pieces, and our combined heating and power plant which uses peat to provide energy to Oulu, my host town in Finland: