On view at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York, through November 22, 2026, Siphon is a multimedia installation that invites the viewer to consider what non-human consciousness might reveal to perception, giving room to a nonlinear, immersive experience. The installation's creator, Tuomas A. Laitinen, is a Helsinki-based artist whose practice explores the interconnection of moving images, sound, and glass. He created Siphon after more than a decade of investigation of copper and octopuses' copper-rich blood. Scientific research in collaboration with scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology led to the artist's broader artistic inquiry about octopus intelligence, sleep and consciousness of octopuses, which he ultimately turned into an art form.
Siphon consists of video, sound, and sculptural elements, all centered on the octopus. The footage featured in the titular video, which comes from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, shows the octopus’s shifting color, skin texture, and camouflage. At the center of the exhibition are blown-glass sculptures, which suggest the form of octopuses, submerged in water-filled tanks. These sculptures are accompanied by site-specific floral arrangements by Kosen Ohtsubo, a renowned ikebana master.
Beyond the gallery confines, in the main hall of the Pioneer Works space, plays a sound composition titled 8external. The work incorporates vocals by Kenyan composer Nyokabi Kariuki, arranged into an eight-note “octachord” that evokes the eight arms of an octopus. Eight ultrasonic speakers distributed throughout the space play shifting fragments of the composition, creating a changing sonic experience for viewers changing position in the installation.
Ultimately, Laitinen’s multichannel installation, seeks to create an experience that viewers can “feel in the body”, engaging with the work on a physical and multisensory level, rather than only visually.
IF YOU GO:
Tuomas A. Laitinen
"Siphon"
Pioneer Works
Through November 22, 2026
More info