{
  "id": 17091356,
  "title": "Before AI There Was the Octopus",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/before-ai-there-was-the-octopus",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T17:06:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hyperallergic",
    "slug": "hyperallergic",
    "url": "https://hyperallergic.com/before-ai-there-was-the-octopus/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Helsinki-based artist Tuomas Laitinen's exhibition, Siphon, draws inspiration from an unlikely source - the octopus, whose blood contains copper that enables oxygen transport in the deep sea. This unique connection forms the central theme of the installation, which is currently displayed at Pioneer Works.\n\nUpon entering the Main Hall, visitors are greeted with massive wall-scale projections of abstracted octopus skin, illuminated in thermal magentas and molten ambers. These visuals are a fusion of Laitinen's own footage and recordings of sleeping octopuses, captured by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. The images create a sense of merging bodies, forming a single, dynamic landscape.\n\nCentered on a stepped plinth, a series of water-filled tanks hold Laitinen's delicate blown-glass forms, intricately crafted in tubular and knotted shapes. These sculptures provide shelter for the octopuses, symbolizing the creatures' connection to their environment. To complement the glass installations, 86-year-old ikebana master Kosen Ohtsubo adds a natural touch, arranging branches, pine, yard-long beans, and peanuts into a harmonious display.\n\nAdding a musical element to the exhibit, Kenyan composer Nyokabi Kariuki's \"8Eternal\" (2026) resonates throughout the space via eight ultrasonic speakers. The ethereal sounds surface and vanish as visitors navigate the installation, further immersing them in the transformative experience Laitinen has crafted.",
  "summary": "Helsinki-based artist Tuomas Laitinen gives us an intelligence with no central brain, no fixed shape, and no interest in being legible to us.",
  "key_points": [
    "Artist Tuomas Laitinen's Siphon exhibition draws inspiration from octopuses",
    "Massive wall-scale projections of abstracted octopus skin illuminate hall",
    "Water-filled tanks and ikebana arrangements complement glass sculptures"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}