Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

Maija Tammi—Art Photographer and Communicator of Science

Thursday, February 9, 2017, By Sean Smith
Share
College of Arts and SciencesLight Workphotography
Maija Tammi and hydra

Light Work Artist-in-Residence Maija Tammi works in collaboration with Syracuse University Department of Biology Professor Robert Silver, documenting and experimenting with hydras.

Photography serves as an accurate means to convey what we observe within a specific context or contexts. From its early days, photography has served an important double role in the recording and communication of science and as art form.

Maija Tammi comes to Light Work for a month-long residency to explore what is meant by “biological immortality.” Before her arrival at Light Work and Syracuse University, Tammi sought a faculty member with whom she could study the biology of hydra, a small fresh-water animal. Tammi connected with Syracuse University Professor of Biology Robert Silver. Silver and Tammi share much in common, including long and deep experience with photography and communicating science to nonscientists.

Tammi is a Finnish artist whose photographs and sculptures converse with science and aesthetics, disgust and fascination. Her work has been exhibited in Europe, North America and Asia. She is currently working on her studio-art-based doctoral thesis at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki.

In his research, Silver seeks to understand how cells make decisions, focusing on the complex processes and mechanisms from the perspective of fundamental principles in biology, the physical sciences and engineering. His lab is filled with the most advanced light microscopes and cameras, and he has graciously offered Tammi access to the laboratory, to work with her, and to integrate her with his students in Lyman Hall.

Upon first seeing hydra with one of Silver’s microscopes, Tammi exclaimed: “Perfect! I can see so much more.”

Already, in the first two days of her residency, Tammi and Silver have begun experiments, captured images of hydra under various conditions and made observations that confirm and extend published observations of hydra biology. They will also be exploring extending some of the limits of image capture, working with Light Work’s master printer, John Mannion.

Throughout her residency Tammi will be posting her images to the Light Work Instagram account, @lightworkorg.

  • Author

Sean Smith

  • Recent
  • Student’s Mobile Upcycled Clothing Business Turns Trash Into Treasures
    Friday, August 22, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • Q&A for “Will Work for Food,” a new book exploring labor and the food chain
    Friday, August 22, 2025, By Ellen Mbuqe
  • Chaz Barracks Fuses Art, Scholarship and Community in Summer Residency
    Thursday, August 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Welcome Week 2025: What You Need to Know
    Tuesday, August 19, 2025, By Kathleen Haley
  • How Otto the Orange Spent Their Summer Vacation (Video)
    Tuesday, August 19, 2025, By News Staff

More In Arts & Culture

Syracuse Stage Announces Auditions for 2025-26 Theatre for the Very Young Production ‘Tiny Martians, Big Emotions’

Syracuse Stage is seeking non-equity actors to audition for the Theatre for the Very Young production of “Tiny Martians, Big Emotions,” conceived and directed by Kate Laissle. The show is a touring educational program as part of the company’s 2025-26…

Art Museum Launches Fall 2025 Season With Dynamic, Interdisciplinary Exhibitions

The Syracuse University Art Museum kicks off its fall season on Aug. 26 with four new exhibitions that reflect the museum’s mission to foster diverse and inclusive perspectives and unite students across disciplines with the local and global community. From…

How Artists Are Embracing Artificial Intelligence to Create Works of Art

Artists have always embraced new technologies to push the boundaries of their creations—balancing imagination and authenticity with innovation. Artificial intelligence (AI) is no different, says Rebecca Xu, professor of computer art and animation in the Department of Film and Media…

Art Museum Faculty Fellows Leverage Collections to Enhance Teaching

Four faculty members have been named Syracuse University Art Museum Faculty Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year. The fellows program, now in its fourth year, supports innovative curriculum development and the fuller integration of the museum’s collection in University instruction….

Syracuse Stage Announces Cast and Production Team of Musical ‘The Hello Girls’

Syracuse Stage announced an exciting new cast and creative team for “The Hello Girls,” with music and lyrics by Peter Mills and book by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel. Featuring fresh orchestrations, new staging and reworked material, this new production…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.