Artist Statement

I am a researcher-practitioner and jewellery artist. My practice unfolds through making, writing, reflection, and dialogue at the intersection of art, craft, and research. I create tangible works such as jewellery, objects and sculptures, as well as digital pieces that exist only through code.

Digital craft is my medium. I integrate digital tools with traditional making, not to replace handwork but to extend its possibilities. This symbiotic process reshapes how material and form are explored, resulting in outcomes that neither the human nor the machine could achieve independently.

SOMA is a world of artefacts shaped at the intersection of ancestral craft, digital technologies, and the emotional force of making.

Founded in 2016 by Sofia Hallik, a Tallinn-based Armenian-Estonian artist, researcher, and mentor, SOMA draws its essence from three lineages. These include the meditative stillness of her grandfather’s art studio, the tactile wisdom passed through generations of craftspeople, and the expanded possibilities uncovered through a decade of research in digital craft.

A Name with Many Origins

SOMA began as an acronym for Sofia’s maiden name, SOfia MArkarova. Over time, the name deepened in meaning. In Greek, “soma” (σῶμα) means “body”, a fitting tribute to adornment, presence, and embodied memory. In fiction, it represents a shift in perception and the act of reimagining reality. For Sofia, SOMA became a symbol of transformation. It invites a question: What does it mean to create through the body, through tools, through code?

Craft and Technology, in Dialogue

Trained as a jewellery artist, Sofia’s practice has evolved into something hybrid. Her PhD research explores “hybrid making”, the integration of handcraft and machine systems as co-authors in the creative process. SOMA exists where tradition meets technology. Where computational processes propose unfamiliar shapes, and the hand refines and animates them. Where the precision of digital modelling meets the unpredictability of physical material. Each artefact is a collaboration between legacy and innovation.