For years, designers and material scientists at Aalto University have collaborated on fascinating bio-based material experiments – from spider silk to nanocellulose lamps and flower leather.
But both industry and consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable alternatives for production and retail. The world isn’t becoming fully digital – we still need clothes, homes, and built environments, now and in the future – all within the limits of what our planet can sustain.
The next big questions are: How can the scaling and industrialisation of bio-based materials be accelerated? How would their use in homes change how we live? And how can the life cycle and reuse of these materials be designed to truly meet the demands of a circular economy? Could there be also mid-scale production processes?
‘The exhibition has two goals: to push material development forward by critically considering how these materials work in different applications, and to encourage visitors to make both small and large-scale sustainability shifts in their everyday lives, says Professor Pirjo Kääriäinen.
Curation
Pirjo Kääriäinen, Professor, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Enni Äijälä, Senior Communication Specialist
Susanna Ahola, Academic Coordinator, BioInnovation Center
Exhibition Design
Tatu Pähti, Master’s Student, Aalto ARTS
Kristian Jokinen, Master’s Student, Aalto ARTS
Aalto ARTS
Krista Virtanen, Master’s Student
Deborah Kumagai, Master’s Student
Adéla Navrátilová
Alba Arillo García, Master’s Student
Niilo Lehtonen, Master’s Student
Leonardo Hidalgo Uribe, Doctoral Researcher
Anna van der Lei, Lecturer
João Florêncio Justino, Master’s Student
Laureen Mahler, Doctoral Researcher
Daniela Ala-Keturi, Master’s Student
Iines Jakovlev, Alumni
Pirjo Kääriäinen, Professor
Aalto SCI
Juha Koivisto, Researcher
Anmol Bhattarai
Nádia Costa Vara
Aalto CHEM
Lê Huy Quang, Researcher
Michael Hummel, Professor
Herbert Sixta, Professor
Julia Lindeberg, Bachelor’s Student
Elizaveta Lingonberg, Master’s Student
Sahar Babaeipour, Doctoral Researcher
Antti Koistinen, Researcher
Lauri Ylimäki, Researcher
Olli Dahl, Professor
Jialin She
Udani Kuruppu
Wenwen Fang
Inge Schlapp-Hackl
Aalto ENG Niko Partanen
Project Partners:
CHEMARTS Lab
Design Factory
Fold2 Research Project
Business Finland
Fredrik Gröndahl, KTH
Woamy Oy
VIBAe Oy
Circular Foams Oy
Häme University of Applied Sciences
University of Eastern Finland
Kalevala Jewelry Cultural Foundation
Fundación Etnollano
Scandinavia-Japan Sasakawa Foundation
Aalto University BioInnovation Center
Grenoble INP-LGP2
Professor Monika Österberg
Professor Julien Bras
Aalto University Bioinnovation Center
Aalto CHEMARTS
The Aalto University Bioinnovation Center is funded by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation
25.9. Marsio, Otakaari 2, Otaniemi
Legacy Awakens: An inspiring journey through science and design
What happens when scientific expertise meets creative hands-on design in materials research? In what ways can these different approaches inform each other? Why is collaboration, in all its various forms, so meaningful? The seminar is organized by the Aalto University Bioinnovation Center to celebrate the long career of Aalto Distinguished Professor Tapani Vuorinen as a researcher, educator, and industry partner.
Aalto University’s biggest annual exhibition showcases interdisciplinary experiments at Marsio, Otakaari 2. Open 5 Sept – 28 Oct 2025.
