Sensory Exhibition on Algae Arrives in Los Vilos: Discover the Scientific and Poetic Dimensions of These Species

Opening date | Open to the public: Saturday, August 30, 12:30 p.m. | Register HERE
Dates: Open until November 29 | Mon–Fri, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. | Sat & holidays, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Venue: Bodegón Cultural Los Vilos, Elicura 135
Organizers: Fundación Mar Adentro (FMA) | Seaweed Archive (ADLA) | National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) | Bodegón Cultural Los Vilos
Collaborators: Laboratory for the Study and Production of Marine Algae (LEPAM-UAB), The Nature Conservancy, and the Federation of Independent Artisanal Fishers and Divers (FEPEMACH)
Supported by: Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation | Project funded by Fondart Regional Coquimbo 2025

The exhibition presents over 100 algae specimens from the historic collection of the National Herbarium of Santiago at the MNHN—dating back to 1911—digitized by Fundación Mar Adentro (FMA), the Seaweed Archive (ADLA), and the MNHN. The records include species collected from Antarctica, the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Rapa Nui, and continental Chile, a task led since the 1980s by biologist María Eliana Ramírez. Her work is featured in the exhibition through a documentary produced by Estudio Audiovisual de Arte (Rafael Guendelman and Andrés Lima), narrating her ocean expeditions.

The production explores the scientist’s trajectory, highlighting her explanation that seaweeds contribute to oxygen production, nutrient formation, and carbon reduction. She also calls on younger generations to become familiar with the subject, noting that “very few scientists have had direct contact with algae.”

The exhibition also features works by national and international artists who investigate the sensory and ecological characteristics of seaweeds through forms, sounds, projections, and imaginaries. Elizabeth Burmann (Chile, 1992) explores shapes and shadows emerging from the encounter between nature, industry, and bodies; Nicholas Jackson (Chile, 1983) presents a piece that highlights the chromatic range of seaweeds in relation to waste; and Rodrigo Ríos Zunino (Chile, 1977) proposes a sound-based experience speculating on the auditory perception of algae. The collective Seaghost (María Novo, Sancha Meca Castro, and Simón Jarpa) also participates with a video installation based on their research on sargassum, a seaweed present in the North Atlantic and along the Portuguese coast.

This exhibition is part of LaCápsula, a traveling initiative by Fundación Mar Adentro that seeks to disseminate natural histories of Chilean biodiversity through archives, sensory narratives, art, and science. According to FMA’s Director of Art and Publications and exhibition co-curator, Maya Errázuriz, “this exhibition has allowed us to deepen our knowledge of algae and learn about the valuable work behind biological collections and the researchers dedicated to creating and safeguarding this heritage, with a luminous and expansive emphasis that becomes possible within Bodegón Cultural Los Vilos.” Regarding the world of algae, she adds: “it is fascinating, yet there is still much to discover and protect in our country. We hope that opening this collection to new audiences, along with the sensory work of each artist, will inspire closer and more sensitive interactions with seaweeds.”

From the Seaweed Archive (ADLA), co-curator of the exhibition, strategic designer, and ADLA director, Javiera Gutiérrez, points out the element of surprise underlying this proposal: “In people’s imagination, seaweeds usually mean cochayuyo or luche, but this exhibition reveals new textures and beings, each very different from the other.” She adds that the invitation is to broaden the concept of seaweed and to recognize its value not only in exhibition contexts but also gastronomically and in relation to the work of seaweed harvesters. “Visitors will see that seaweeds are primordial beings in our food webs, with ecological, cultural, and nutritional importance,” she notes.

According to Bodegón Cultural Los Vilos’ director, Gustavo Arenas, “it is of utmost importance to activate and bring into motion the cultural values and elements of the natural and social ecosystem to which we belong.” He adds that this exhibition “invites us to observe the seaweeds of our coastal edge, integrating science and art.” He also highlights the exhibition’s title and its call “to reflect on the persistence and power of life beneath the waves, a strange world that nourishes us and shapes how we live, think, and feel.” Arenas also expressed gratitude for the collaboration with FMA, the Federation of Independent Artisanal Fishers and Divers of the Coquimbo Region (FEPEMACH), the Los Vilos Hatchery Aquarium (Enrique Altamirano, Francisco Ruiz, and Constanza Argandoña), Chef Gustavo Cisternas, and Juan Carlos Delgado, for opening new spaces for collaboration.

Works featured in the exhibition
In this exhibition, visitors will not only explore digitized algae specimens and learn about the history of this collection but also appreciate the work of artists who expand the archive to explore the diverse sensory characteristics of seaweeds and their ecological roles.

Artist Elizabeth Burmann (CL, 1992), who explores reactions and forms of decay emerging from encounters between nature, industry, bodies, and the environment—intertwining socio-ecological knowledge with techniques such as glass and metal—created an installation for LaCápsula that delves into the different shapes and compositions of seaweeds, combining metallic and glass materials with shadow projections.

The work of Nicholas Jackson (CL, 1983) will also be presented, whose artistic research addresses the material relationship between algae and anthropogenic waste discharged into the sea. For this project, he developed an interactive work that highlights the chromatic richness of algae.

Rodrigo Ríos Zunino (CL, 1977), inspired by practices such as feedback, transduction, transmission, rituals, migration, phenomenology, and perception, invites us to reflect on the effect of sound waves through algae and to speculate on new listening possibilities.

The collective Seaghosts (María Novo, Sancha Meca Castro, and Simón Jarpa) also contributes with a multidisciplinary research project on sargassum, a seaweed found in the North Atlantic and along the Portuguese coast. Through a video installation, the group explores this species as a transmutable entity connecting real and imaginary worlds, as well as humans and non-humans.

Workshop: Creating a Biological-Artistic Archive
In October, a workshop will take place inviting participants to learn about the seaweeds of Los Vilos and their conservation process through the creation of a biological-artistic archive, in collaboration with the Seaweed Archive, Bodegón Cultural Los Vilos, and the Los Vilos Hatchery Aquarium. The workshop will consist of four sessions, including algae collection, herbarium-making, digitization, and a final exhibition.

About Bodegón Cultural Los Vilos
Bodegón Cultural Los Vilos is a Contemporary Art Center located in Los Vilos, Coquimbo Region. Its mission is to promote the development of people and the Province of Choapa through culture, arts, and heritage, by hosting major exhibitions at both local and global levels, inviting international artists to engage with the Choapa Valley through a residency program. The center identifies as part of the territory and seeks to contribute to the province’s cultural development through free activities such as workshops, mediations, talks, and performances in dance, music, and theater. It firmly believes that cultivating and disseminating culture and the arts significantly contributes to social development, and therefore consistently strengthens its School Area, which offers a non-formal education program including artistic mediations for visiting students and a dance school teaching Ballet techniques.

About Fundación Mar Adentro
Fundación Mar Adentro (FMA) is a nonprofit organization that fosters dialogue between art, science, and nature to expand understanding of the world we inhabit. It works with diverse actors and communities to integrate multiple forms of knowledge and transdisciplinary perspectives, aiming to address environmental complexity through a systemic lens where the biological and the cultural intertwine within a vast web of relationships. Through residency programs, publications, institutional collaborations, and the development of itinerant initiatives such as LaCápsula, FMA promotes projects that strengthen connections with territories and biodiversity, fostering critical reflection and collective creation. FMA believes that the intersection of knowledge and experience is essential for building new ways of inhabiting the world—more respectful and aware of our interdependence with ecosystems.

About the Seaweed Archive (ADLA)
The Seaweed Archive (ADLA) is a collaborative space for interaction, learning, and exploration, aiming to bring algae closer to people through scientific, artistic, and educational approaches. It develops its own projects while fostering collaborations with institutions, foundations, and research centers dedicated to the study of algae.