200 years of Photography

In 2026, we all take pictures every day without thinking: a swipe, a tap, and a moment is sealed into memory. Two hundred years earlier, in 1826, the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce made the first photograph in history — his famous View from the Window at Le Gras — after years of patient experimentation and delicate chemistry.

For Night of Science 2026, we invite you to slow down and rediscover photography as both a science and an art. Throughout the evening, you will hear how this first photograph — a quiet, seemingly unremarkable view — reveals the changing world of Niépce’s time, explore the dawn of photographic art in Finland, discover contemporary photography based on historic and camera-less techniques, and even step into the process yourself. Share your own view from the window and experience instant, hands-on image-making.

The event will be held in English and French.

This event requires registration. Register here!

The organizer: French Institute in Finland

The capacity of the venue is 60 people. The venue is not fully accessible. A person in a wheelchair must be accompanied. Access to the Institute and its interior spaces is adapted for persons with reduced mobility. However, please note that the ramp leading to the entrance is steep and requires help of an assistant for wheelchair users. Unfortunately, the restrooms are not accessible to persons with reduced mobility.