Tanssiva Meteoritti 2025 -tapahtuma
Dancing Meteorite Biennial 2025
Kansalaistottelemattomuuden, sodan ja rauhan aika
A Forum for Art, Science and Societal Discussion

I had the immense privilege of joining the Peace Work Now Panel Talk at the Fiskars Warehouse in September 2025 as a speaker. We explored peace work, non-violent civil disobedience, and academic activism in a space that felt both thoughtful and heartfelt. What I valued most was the opportunity to take part in respectful and reflective discussions among the speakers and with the audience, where we were listening, learning, and at times challenging one another in ways that felt constructive and hopeful.

Annatuuli Saine did an incredible job bringing together voices from different backgrounds under the umbrella of activism, creating a dialogue that left me both inspired and reflective. For me, the conversation also hit close to home, reminding me why I care so deeply about this work and how my own experiences can shape my approach and contribute to wider struggles for peace and justice.

On a personal note, I also want to express my sincerest gratitude once again for welcoming me into your home. I truly had an incredible weekend and hope to see you soon.

I am a University Researcher in Physics at the University of Helsinki, as well as an environmental activist. In 2025, I had the opportunity to participate as a panelist in the Saine Ensemble’s "Peace Work Now" workshop, which inaugurated this year’s ongoing edition of the Dancing Meteorite biennial.

In organising the 2025 edition, Annatuuli Saine has created an extraordinary event, in which the theme of peace and non-violence was explored from different angles, bridging world politics and lived experiences, and combining perspectives from the academic, artistic, and the deeply personal. In her introduction, Annatuuli Saine managed to both provide a red line, and inspire a truly interesting discussion. I not only left the event feeling that our presentations and the intense discussion that ensued had left the audience enchanted and empowered, I left freshly inspired.

It struck me that the most interesting event in which I have participated this year took place not in Helsinki, nor in Tampere or Turku, but in an old grain storage in the village of Fiskars. Clearly, word about the Biennale has gotten out, as many of the participants had traveled a long way to attend. Just as importantly, however, the Biennale seems to also be firmly rooted in Fiskars, and established as a highlight on the local cultural calendar, with many locals in attendance, and many more involved in its organisation.

With this experience, I was happy to hear that the preparation for the next edition has already begun, and I am very excited about the proposed theme of the next biennale, which sets out to explore the topic of Deep Ecology, connections and communication within the plant world, and our relationship to them. More than anything, in my view, neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso's pioneering research on the complex and hitherto unknown interactions between plants shows that there are still aspects of nature we are only beginning to understand. It invites us to re-think long-held assumptions about what it means to be intelligent or social. I believe the theme is designed to kindle a sense of wonder about nature, and hopefully, create an understanding for the importance to not only protect nature as outsiders, but to try to be humble, to learn, and to find our place within it.

More than perhaps anywhere else in the world, Deep Ecology has been embraced by the Finnish environmental movement. Especially at the present time, however, I think it is important to acknowledge that this relationship is not without trouble. In this context, I believe it to be particularly important that the valuable lessons about Deep Ecology are shared in a way thatemphasizes humanity's potential to play a positive role. By explicitly linking Deep Ecology to the ideas of the late Joanna Macy and of Stefano Mancuso, it is clear that its core, life-affirming ideas are firmly placed at the center.

In my view, the theme of Deep Ecology appeals not only to our intellect, but calls for an interdisciplinary approach, combining academic, artistic and activist perspectives and forms. With Annatuuli Saine's personality, her background, and her track record (also in previous editions, when exploring, for example, our relationship with water in all its forms), I am sure that Annatuuli Saine and the Saine Ensemble will again bring their creativity to full effect, and create unique, inspiring and empowering experiences. While the planning is still at an early stage, as I am writing this, I am already very much looking forward to seeing it come to life.