Materiæ is an interdisciplinary art project that advances an ecological approach to research and art production. Using chitosan, a biopolymer obtained from invasive blue crab shells, the project produces a regenerative photographic film that becomes the material matrix for the artwork series.
Developed in collaboration with the Polyphenols Chemistry & Materials Science group operating at the Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the National Research Council, Institute of Marine Science (CNR-ISMAR), Materiæ focuses on the Venice Lagoon, reflecting on how alien invasive species are reshaping local ecosystems, economies, and relationships between human and non-human life.
The Materiæ was created through an experimental technique combining algorithmically processed data of local phytoplankton with a multi-exposure cyanotype process. As the negative progressively biodegraded during production, the series came to comprise three unique works.
Artist
Sofiia Petryshyn
Research / Production
Davide Bernardis
Chitosan-based film
Courtesy of Polyphenols Chemistry & Materials Science Laboratory — Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Development and Fabrication by Daniele Massari, Massimo Sgarzi, Matteo Gigli, Claudia Crestini.
Microscopy Data
Courtesy of Institute of Marine Science — National Research Council (CNR-ISMAR) – Marine Ecology Laboratory (EcoMar). Photography and videography by Stefania Finotto, Fabrizio Bernardi Aubry e Mauro Bastianini.
Data provided by ISMAR highlight the extraordinary diversity of phytoplankton species in the Venice Lagoon and their role as vital indicators of environmental change and ecosystem health.
Created with the support of Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, the Materiæ lab installation currently on view at Forte Marghera was conceived in resonance with In Minor Keys, Koyo Kouoh’s curatorial vision for Biennale Arte 2026.
SOFIIA PETRYSHYN