Photo North – Northern Photographic Centre has invited artist Michèle Boulogne to take part in an artist residency at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in February 2026 as part of the Adaptation project. During the residency, a Talking Pictures discussion event will be held at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory on Tuesday, 17 February at 6:00 PM. The event is in English, open to everyone, free of charge and you are able to join via Zoom.
During the event, the artist hopes to build connections with local residents and artists. She is particularly interested in traditional handicrafts, ranging from textile work to birch bark crafts. The residency programme is part of the Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 programme.
Michèle Boulogne (b. 1996, Martinique) is a France-based artist working primarily in the field of textile art.
At the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, Boulogne continues her artistic practice connected to space, force fields, and related phenomena, alongside themes of identity and cultural memory. Since 2024, she has been an active member of the Venus Conversations collective, which brings together the fields of culture, science, and art. Venus Conversations is a long-term project running until 2034, creating dialogue and artistic productions centred around the planet Venus. Boulogne’s earlier work Venus does not exist (2021) focuses on making the mysterious planet Venus visible, examining how technology shapes our collective imagination of inaccessible landscapes through technical data.
Boulogne’s works combine various textile techniques—such as weaving, dyeing, and knitting—into collage-like compositions. She draws inspiration from Caribbean heritage and space research, using these influences to explore fragmented histories, overlapping temporalities, and powerful natural forces.
During the Sodankylä residency, the artist will create a new work that will be presented as part of the Adaptation exhibition opening at the Oulu Museum of Art in October 2026, within the Oulu European Capital of Culture programme.
Oulu is the European Capital of Culture in 2026. Adaptation is part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme and cultural climate change.
The event can also be attended remotely via an online link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85211667083.
More about the artist:
https://www.micheleboulogne.com/
