Sikad Sensing, Sensory Geography: Presenting Photomedia Research from Wellington to Helsinki
It All Begins Here
The antipode of Helsinki lies in the South Pacific Ocean, just east of New Zealand—an apt geographic inversion that framed my journey from Wellington to Finland. Travelling between these distant locations involved navigating a 10-hour time difference and adjusting my circadian rhythm.
In November 2025, I responded to a call for papers for the Helsinki Photomedia Conference, held from 15–17 April 2026 at Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The theme, Placeholders, invited reflection on representation as inherently partial—concerned with stand-ins for things that no longer exist or resist full capture, and how indexical documentation may remain fragmented or inconclusive.
My practice-led doctoral project, Sikad Sensing, was selected for the Sensory Geography panel. The project investigates Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara) through the interplay between cyclist, bicycle, sensing technologies, and environment. It conceptualises cycling as a spatial performance shaped by a “politics of pace,” where power on the road is unevenly negotiated.
At its core is performative sensing. Using sensor-triggered, algorithmic image-capture systems, I produce photographs that function not as direct representations but as placeholders for fleeting, embodied experiences. Influenced by vibration, motion, light, and weather, these images articulate a distributed form of vision co-produced by human and more-than-human agents.
Framed through latent geographies, these fragments collectively model Wellington’s transient spatial conditions. Rather than prioritising visual fidelity, the project foregrounds rhythm, revealing how urban environments are sensed through interruption, instability, and situated arrhythmia. The bicycle operates as both method and metaphor, enabling a form of “slow space” grounded in improvisation and embodied negotiation.
The conference brought together interdisciplinary approaches, including immersive glacial sound mapping, infrared imaging for visual noise, and explorations of wildwood in Sámi knowledge systems. Keynotes by Dr Gillian Rose and Munem Wasif expanded these discussions, addressing smart cities and image-making through countermapping, respectively.
Participating in the conference enabled meaningful dialogue with international scholars while situating my research within a broader global context. Beyond academic exchange, engaging with Helsinki’s urban environment offered distinct spatial and sensory perspectives, marking a significant moment of reflection and expansion in my doctoral journey.