Graffiti artists queue to showcase their art on Suvilahti’s new purpose-built wall

Successful experiment may lead to erection of permanent concrete wall

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The area around the graffiti wall set up in Helsinki’s Suvilahti remained rather quiet yesterday.
      “When the weather is good, one can see several artists in a day working on the wall”, says salesperson Timo Sinnemäki of the nearby Café Aaltopelti.
      The City of Helsinki eased off with its zero-tolerance towards graffiti last autumn. The city’s first permissible graffiti wall was erected in May by the Kaapelitehdas Cultural Centre, which also administers the Suvilahti setup.
      “The experiment has proved very successful indeed. The set rules have been respected, and so far we haven’t heard any complaints”, says Kaapelitehdas general manager Soile Kuusela.
     
The wall has become so popular that graffiti artists even queue for the chance to realise their visions there.
      “As soon as an artist finished his work he took a photograph of it, before the next guy came in and painted over it”, graffiti artist Vesa describes the first day at the wall.
      On Thursday a dozen or so graffiti works decorated the hundred-metre wall. Underneath them one could detect remnants of several previous efforts.
      The area surrounding the wall looked tidy. No empty spray cans were found lying around. A couple of chairs stood idly in front of the art.
      “The artists have made an effort to keep the area tidy. Any appeared tags have been removed spontaneously by the artists”, Vesa explains.
      According to Kuusela, the tags that were previously found in the area have decreased in number.
      The area has been peaceful in other respects as well. “According to the security company that monitors the area, only the most impatient queuing artists have sometimes had to be shooed away.”
     
In the future the present graffiti wall will have to be taken down for the duration of a soil cleaning operation in the Suvilahti area.
      “If the experiment continues in an equally exemplary fashion, the present plywood wall may well be replaced in the future with a permanent concrete wall”, Kuusela says.
      From many quarters there are high expectations with regard to Helsinki’s first graffiti wall.
      “If the wall has a reducing effect on unauthorised scrawlings elsewhere, then of course that is something very positive. Let’s see what happens”, comments senior constable Hannele Paasonen from the Malmi Police Precinct's scrawlings squad.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Millions spent on anti-graffiti project (28.1.2009)
  Prison sentences and compensation demands have curbed graffiti in Helsinki (31.3.2006)
  Four get prison sentences for graffiti - total of 22 convictions (21.9.2005)

See also:
  Police dismiss accusations of use of excess force during graffiti demonstration (18.9.2008)
  "Stop the Scrawling" campaign fails to invite Youth Department to its ten-year anniversary (16.9.2008)

Links:
  Suvilahti
  A Vimeo video of the first day on the wall

Helsingin Sanomat