Two new works of art have been installed in Sompasaari, Kalasatama. These public environmental artworks are on display for everyone to see in Loviseholminpuisto Park and at the Aallonhalkoja Street plaza.
Two new public artworks have been completed in Sompasaari, Kalasatama. The works are the winning entries from an art competition organized by the City of Helsinki in 2016, and they have now been installed in Loviseholminpuisto Park and the Aallonhalkoja Street plaza. The works will be unveiled at a public event on Wednesday, September 20. at 2:30 p.m. Helsinki Deputy Mayor Anni Sinnemäki will be present at the unveiling. Artists Maija Luutonen and Olli Keränen will be present at the event.
The competition and the artworks were funded through Helsinki’s “percentage for art” principle—that is, a fee based on floor area collected from developers in the area. The Kalasatama area has served as a pilot site for the application of this principle in Helsinki’s urban development.
A maritime shore in the middle of Loviseholminpuisto Park
Kirsi Kaulanen’s artwork Mare mare (Finnish for “Sea, Sea”) is located in Loviseholm Park, where it creates a sculptural space and an imaginary world. The work is composed of spiral-shaped, laser-cut stainless steel elements resembling roots and plants, as well as acrylic photographs.
According to the artist, the work represents a seashore: inside it, visitors can experience an imaginary world beneath the earth or water’s surface. According to Kaulanen, the space can also be seen as “symbolizing a state beneath the earth and water, a state of the subconscious; a space where knowledge, skill, imagination, play, and creativity can come together and give birth to new ideas and thoughts.” The plants, in turn, serve as a reminder of the vulnerability and dignity of life.
Kirsi Kaulanen (b. 1969) is a sculptor based in Porvoo whose work focuses particularly on the dialogue between natural elements, nature, humans, and other species. Her public sculptures in Helsinki include *Iso tyttö* (2003) at Annantalo and the pair of sculptures *Viileä mätäs* and *Vaaleanpunainen luonto* at Haartman Hospital (2005).
The Passage of Time in the Cityscape
Maija Luutonen and Olli Keränen’s work Pica pica (Latin for “magpie”) is formed from coins scattered across the plaza on Aallonhalkoja Street, which have been embedded in the paving stones. The coins appear to have rolled down the plaza, forming a fan-like shape. Their purpose is to highlight the city’s layers and the passage of time.
The random patterns left by the coins embedded in the asphalt naturally echo patterns found in the streetscape, such as paw prints and the treads of shoe soles. The steel and bronze coins vary in size and color, and their motifs range from history to the future. The title of the work also alludes to the allure of picking up shiny objects.
Visual artist Maija Luutonen (b. 1978) specializes in acrylic paintings on paper—often abstract—that form spatial compositions. Her works include, for example, the multi-material piece Puuska(2020). Olli Keränen’s (b. 1979) works exist in the space between sculpture and moving image. His works unfold in space through their multiplicity of meanings.
The area features six permanent and four temporary artworks. As part of Kalasatama and HAM’s A Stream Among Streams environmental art project The environmental artworks in the area explore, among other things, humanity’s relationship with technology.