SUBLIME
SYNAESTHESIA
02
2.0 BOTANICA
This project magnifies the extraordinary structures and symbiotic nature of lichen through macro photography, UV light, photogrammetry, and procedurally generated simulations. Developed during a two-week residency in Folldal in 2022, the work traces growth in extreme, high-altitude environments where life persists against all odds. What first appears barren reveals vibrant micro-communities of fungi and plants not just surviving but thriving!
At the core are lichen colonies—small in scale yet essential to mountain ecosystems. As pioneers of the mountainside, they colonize exposed rock, break down its surface, and release the nutrients that enable future biodiversity. By enlarging their intricate forms and illuminating their otherworldly qualities, the project invites a shift in perspective: from a landscape seemingly devoid of life to one alive with subtle, resilient, and continuous transformation.
Exhibited at PopOpp @ K.U.K Trondheim and Folldal Flerbrukshus 2022 -23
Meduim: procedurally generated animation, photogrammetry, makro photo (60x90cm), photobook, lichen, uv light, plant/resin sculpture with light
2.1 METAMORPHOSIS
Sublime Synaesthesia 2.1 explore the aftermath of abandoned industrial activity in high-mountain landscapes, focusing on the persistent scars left behind. Decades after the machinery fell silent, these terrains remain strikingly barren, with only sparse patches of lichen reclaiming the ground. The works investigate this uncanny threshold where natural ecosystems meet the remnants of human intervention. Using artificial intelligence the project imagines speculative futures in which altered environments are slowly recolonized by hybrid species. By merging field research from Folldal and Dovre, ecological observation, and machine-generated interpretations, Sublime Synaesthesia 2.1 examines how landscapes remember, adapt, and evolve—long after industry has withdrawn.
Exhibited at Knust - Trondheim and Eker Gård - Skammestein 2024
Medium: Audio reactive AI animation, projection, scrap metal, lichen, rock, clay sculptures
2.2(beta)
Sublime Synaesthesia 2.2(beta) is a combination and a continuation of 2.0 & 2.1. The works keep exploring the lichens extraordinary qualities, and this strange meeting point between nature and the remains of industrial processes. By using artificial intelligence we imagine a future with adapted ecosystems recolonized by hybrid species.
At Grenseløs we set up a computer running AI, trained on our own datasets, to continually generate new lichen-hybrids during the exhibition period. The datasets consist of our own photos of scrap metal from old industrial areas, and different species of lichen. Set to an automated random selection the computer printed up to 20 hybrids during a day in a postcard format, that we put up on the ever growing specimen wall. This was the first prototype of an ongoing project creating a bigger hybrid-lichen-data-bank, and we are currently working on developing a new digital display format.
Alongside the Hybrid-lichen-data-bank we exhibited light sculptures, larger ai hybrid-lichen prints, and macro photography of lichen.
Exhibited at Grenseløs - Trondheim 2024
Medium: AI generated hybrid-lichen-data-bank, digital prints, photography, sculptures, light
‘Sublime Synaesthesia’ is a collection of virtual narratives which explore our relationship with sublime nature through the use of new digital technologies. The project seeks to expand our understanding of environment to include a multitude of diverse overlapping ecosystems functioning outside of anthropocentric perceptions of place.
This chapter of Sublime Synaesthesia focuses on lichen colonies — small in scale yet ecologically invaluable. The work is both a tribute to lichen as a pioneer species in mountain landscapes and an exploration of damaged ecosystems where growth is limited by industrial activity. Emerging from the symbiosis between fungi and algae, lichen becomes a quiet symbol of adaptation and survival.
Through macro photography, UV light, photogrammetry and procedural growth simulations, the project studies lichen’s intricate structures and speculative futures. Using AI models and generative animation, it imagines new hybrid formations where organic and industrial matter intertwine. The resulting series of work is blending scientific observation with digital experimentation to give a glimpse of a hidden vitality of ecosystems often overlooked.
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