LASER Brussels. Beyond the Map - On listening, measuring, and imagining the unexplored

This event is part of the exhibition program Uncharted, curated by Camilla Colombo (Ohme)

Participants:

Els Viaene, artist

Frank Pattyn, professor at the laboratory of Glaciology Laboratory - Department of Geosciences, Environment, Society of the Faculty of Sciences of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) 

Raoul Sommeillier, co-director of Ohme

Supported by: FÉDÉRATION WALLONIE-BRUXELLES CULTURE.BE and CYLAND
Collaboration: ADEM labo - Laser Talks Brussels, Alexandra Dementieva

EVENT INFO

When: 26 November 2025 at 6:30 PM CET (UTC +1). Find your timezone HERE

Where: Hybrid event

• Online: Livestream via YouTube – www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBMn0S33UbkadbcfsT-rhw/live
• In-person: ISELP - L’Institut Supérieur pour l’Etude du Langage Plastique. 📍 31 boulevard de Waterloo, 1000 Bruxelles 
  iselp.be
  
  How do we explore what resists being seen, heard, or fully known? This conversation brings together sound artist Els Viaene and researchers from ULB’s glaciology department to reflect on different ways of approaching the unknown—through scientific investigation and sensory experience alike. From the vast, remote landscapes of Antarctica to the inaudible movements of ice, the dialogue unfolds around how both art and science trace, translate, and sometimes imagine what lies beyond the limits of perception. Between data and resonance, measurement and intuition, this panel invites us to rethink what it means to explore, sense, and relate to territories at the edge of the visible and the knowable. 
  
  
  
  Participants: 
  Frank Pattyn is a Belgian glaciologist and professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He is a leading expert in the dynamics of ice sheets and glaciers, known for developing ice-sheet models to improve projections of future sea-level rise. He is the Chairman of the Belgian National Committee on Antarctic Research. Pattyn was awarded the 2018 Louis Agassiz Medal by the EGU for his contributions to understanding ice-sheet dynamics. He also received the ULB Scientific Dissemination Prize in 2021 for his public engagement on climate issues.
  frank.pattyn.web.ulb.be
  
  
  
  

  Els Viaene started her work as a sound artist / field recordist in 2001. With a set-up of two small microphones she listens, zooms into and enlarges the aural landscapes surrounding us. The natural rhythms and textures of the sounds hidden in those landscapes form the basis of her work. Working on these sound materials for performances, sound compositions or installations she makes the listeners travel in imaginary and organic environments. Through the specific use and set-up of sound within a space her installations create new spaces within existing ones, either emphasizing or making disappear the physical borders of that space.

  In doing so she often plays with the notions of seeing and hearing, the perception of what we see and hear and how both interfere.
  aurallandscape.net
  
  
  

  Raoul Sommeillier is an engineer, cultural entrepreneur, scientific researcher, and artistic manager. His background and career reflect his drive to connect his diverse passions and his deep desire to break down the boundaries between disciplines.

  He holds a double Master’s degree in Engineering with a specialization in Mechatronics, an Advanced Master’s in Technological and Industrial Management, and a PhD in Applied Science Education. His research focuses on scientific misconceptions that hinder learning and on strategies to overcome them. As a practitioner-researcher, lecturer at ENSAV La Cambre, and recipient of the Wernaers Grant (F.N.R.S.) for Science Communication, he is particularly interested in collaborative methodologies, transdisciplinary interactions between artists and scientists, and the impact of integrating art and design into teaching and public engagement with science, research, and technology.

  In 2017, Raoul co-founded Ohme, where he now serves as co-director, overseeing mediation, research, and creative and technical development projects. He leads Ohme Academia, which develops academic collaborations with art schools and universities, and Ohme Lab, which provides scientific and technical R&D expertise for artistic creation. He is also the manager of electronic music producer OTON and co-founder of the label Alliance Club.

  www.ohme.be 

  www.researchgate.net/profile/Raoul-Sommeillier 
  
  

  Alexandra Dementieva is a multimedia artist, based in Brussels. The idea of interaction between the viewer and an artwork, mediated by technologically progressive visualization methods, lies at the core of her work. In her installations she uses various art forms on an equal basis: dance, music, cinema and performance. Akin to an explorer she raises questions related to social psychology and theories of perception suggesting solutions to them by contemporary artistic means, that is by taking a subjective stance behind a camera. Her installations focus on the role of the viewer and her/his interaction with an artwork and bring forth ways of provoking the viewer’s involvement thus allowing hidden mechanisms of human behaviour to be revealed.
  

  alexdementieva.org

  
  SPONSORS

The Leonardo/ISAST LASERs are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of the LASERs is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 50 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. @lasertalks