About

Biotoopia is a citizens’ initiative in Estonia that seeks to build networks between the arts, sciences and biotic communities. Biotoopia amplifies the power of multispecies communities by shifting patterns of thought and behavior in order to sustain a flourishing future for all. We borrowed the name from the 1995 exhibition BIOTOOPIA, curated by Sirje Helme, Eha Komissarov and Ando Keskküla, which brought scientists and artists together in the exhibition hall for the first time in Estonia. We continue developing this method and themes.

We are living in a time of great changes. The pressure our civilisation exerts on living environments has exceeded a reasonable limit, and the disbalanced natural processes are presenting us with increasingly unpleasant surprises. We are becoming aware of our responsibility for the life of the planet, for the continuation of biodiversity. We cannot solve the accumulated ecological problems with technology alone – we need an ally whose capabilities would exceed our own many times. There is no candidate other than the biosphere itself. Nothing regulates the atmosphere better than forests and ocean flora. We need to achieve cooperation and good neighbourly relations with other participants of the biosphere, learn their sign systems and cooperate with them, respectfully.

The arts are efficient means of bringing nonhuman perspectives closer to the human mind. The wild aesthetics of native biomes orchestrates diverse forms of otherness and teaches us about sources of new pleasures. It is in the symbiosis of the arts and sciences with biosphere, in the exciting frontier areas, that a deeper understanding can emerge that will help us open perspectives for life itself.

Our annual event is rather an interdisciplinary forum than a conference. Different artistic and scholarly mindsets mingle during three days in various locations in Estonia, spontaneous discussions, nature walks and concerts enhance intimate synergic processes. The hybrid online section of Biotoopia provides global outreach and feedback.

Between the annual events, we organise a number of different activities like Biotoopia Talks, Biotoopia Walks, and art events. The Library section of our homepage hosts a selection of articles, videos, visuals, audio content and reading lists of our authors and links to our partner organisations.