INTERACTIVE ART
COURSE EXHIBITION

Feb 19-26, 2021

Galleries V1 and V2
Experimental Studio (Room G203)

Väre Building
Aalto University
Otaniementie 14
Espoo, Finland

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the exhibition is open only to students and staff of Aalto during the opening hours of the building.


Cross Waves is a sea state that occurs when two or more nonparallel wave systems meet. The waves generated by this phenomenon are dangerous to swimmers, boats, and ships caught between the crossing waves.

Cross Waves is also the name of the Spring exhibition of Aalto Media Lab students. It is an exhibition that presents interactive artworks that have been created in the meeting point of art and technology.

Ristiaallokko | Cross Waves exhibition is the outcome of the Interactive Art course at the Aalto Media Lab at Aalto University. The aim of the course is to explore the notion of interaction within the context of new media art.



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The Balance of Nature

ALEXEY NIKOLAYEV






In this piece I’m trying to show nature as a balanced harmonious system that a human is invited to contemplate or play with. However, one is not allowed to break the equilibrium. In contrast, nature can share this equilibrium as a gift of inner balance and beauty with a human, and it’s especially precious in current turbulent and often stressful times.

I believe that biological systems are much more complex than anything that humans ever created, and if we take care about nature, it can be our teacher and guardian, both physically and mentally.

By waving both hands to one side of the body (left or right) a visitor can affect seeds or spores dispersal and thus future locations of mushrooms and plants. These slight interactions can’t hurt the system but invite visitors to play, communicate and actively observe. Beyond seeding phases no interaction is possible, but visitors are offered to enjoy the beauty of the sunny day and observe this slow-paced small world without everyday rush.

The idea of balance is shown through a stable environment with a constant number of species, and also through endless cycles of growth, life and rebirth.