Art is a key part of the Arabianranta residential area
Artists were involved in planning at an early stage
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By Hannu Pöppönen
A good place to start the art tour of the Arabianranta neighbourhood is in the reading room of the Aralis Library, where stained-glass works of Petri Hytönen can be seen. Hytönen has painted wooden causeways and birds wandering around in the wild amidst silhouettes depicting factories - all topics linked with the Arabianranta area.
"Art that is produced here makes visible that which already exists. It has not been brought here as something separate, from outside", says Tuula Isohanni.
Isohanni has worked for five years for the City of Helsinki as an artistic coordinator in Arabianranta. When she started out, she walked around the area quite a bit, following the construction work, writing down notes and taking photographs.
On the practical level she has brought together builders, civil servants, architects, and artists in the area.
Isohanni describes the project as a unique one.
"Extensive cooperation has taken place in a wide area, and cooperation has begun at such an early stage of the planning."
The artists came on board, often already when bids were being made on parcels of property.
Isohanni has compiled, and maintains a collection of artists.
"On the practical level the architects express what kind of art they want in the buildings, and I propose a number of options for artists."
Isohanni says that in the role of coordinator it is also necessary to step aside at the right moment, and let the architects and artists work in peace.
During a period of five years 50 works of art from nearly 50 artists have appeared in the gateways and yards and other places in the former industrial area of Arabianranta. When the residential neighbourhood is complete there will be about 200 works of art there.
The art has been brought very close to the residents, as part of their everyday life and habitation.
"Initiating the project were the City of Helsinki, the planners of the area, and Deputy Mayor Pekka Korpinen", Isohanni says.
In the background was a call from the Helsinki City Board to the city's Public Works Department. One percent of the costs of public buildings was earmarked for the acquisition of art. In Arabianranta, the contractors that have built housing there have used between one and two percent of the construction investment for artistic purposes.
In the next five years, the artistic work will extend to the southern part of the Arabianranta area, but in once sense, Tuula Isohanni has reached the end. She wrote a doctoral thesis on her work for the University of Art and Design. The thesis, which was examined just over a month ago, looks at artistic activity as part of the planning of a residential environment.
The cultural strata and history of the area come out in an eye-opening manner in both the art, and in the streets themselves, which are named after artists.
There are works of art in stairways, and even behind closed doors, but there is also much to see outside the buildings.
The work of art in the area's first common yard is a wall-like ceramic sculpture 12 metres long by Päivi Kiuru, Maarit Mäkelä, and Johanna Rytkölä, which follows the contours of the old shoreline.
In the same place there was once the old pier of the Arabia factory.
There are serigraphy prints on the surface of the work on the different phases of the factory and the people working there.
Anne Siirtola has also dealt with the history of the Arabia factory in her work.
She has enlivened the red brick wall of a gateway on Gunnel Nymanin katu with a mosaic work. This is emphasised in the old ceramic shards that she has found in the area: fuses, pieces of china with labels from the 1920s, and ears of coffee cups, through which the viewer can stick a finger.
Some of the works of art are so subtle that recognising them brings a thrill of discovery.
Kirsi Kiviranta has collected stories from cyclists in the area, which have been printed into the bricks in the gateway.
Looking from further away, the texts cannot even be seen, but closer it is possible to actually read the story: "One morning I went cycling and I was on the bridge to Kulosaari..." is how one of them begins.
Maria Tuominen, who lives in the same building, is in the yard with her two-year-old son Nuutti. She says that Arabianranta has a community feel to it in any case, but that the art adds to the sense of togetherness. She feels that in a new neighbourhood it is good that art reminds the residents of the history of the area.
"The works are a natural part of the houses and yards, and in not in a way that would overstate it. In the area there are many small children, and they will also get used to the fact that art is an important part of the environment. People also want to take good care of the environment."
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 28.4.2005
A good place to start the art tour of the Arabianranta neighbourhood is in the reading room of the Aralis Library, where stained-glass works of Petri Hytönen can be seen. Hytönen has painted wooden causeways and birds wandering around in the wild amidst silhouettes depicting factories - all topics linked with the Arabianranta area.
"Art that is produced here makes visible that which already exists. It has not been brought here as something separate, from outside", says Tuula Isohanni.
Isohanni has worked for five years for the City of Helsinki as an artistic coordinator in Arabianranta. When she started out, she walked around the area quite a bit, following the construction work, writing down notes and taking photographs.
On the practical level she has brought together builders, civil servants, architects, and artists in the area.
Isohanni describes the project as a unique one.
"Extensive cooperation has taken place in a wide area, and cooperation has begun at such an early stage of the planning."
The artists came on board, often already when bids were being made on parcels of property.
Isohanni has compiled, and maintains a collection of artists.
"On the practical level the architects express what kind of art they want in the buildings, and I propose a number of options for artists."
Isohanni says that in the role of coordinator it is also necessary to step aside at the right moment, and let the architects and artists work in peace.
During a period of five years 50 works of art from nearly 50 artists have appeared in the gateways and yards and other places in the former industrial area of Arabianranta. When the residential neighbourhood is complete there will be about 200 works of art there.
The art has been brought very close to the residents, as part of their everyday life and habitation.
"Initiating the project were the City of Helsinki, the planners of the area, and Deputy Mayor Pekka Korpinen", Isohanni says.
In the background was a call from the Helsinki City Board to the city's Public Works Department. One percent of the costs of public buildings was earmarked for the acquisition of art. In Arabianranta, the contractors that have built housing there have used between one and two percent of the construction investment for artistic purposes.
In the next five years, the artistic work will extend to the southern part of the Arabianranta area, but in once sense, Tuula Isohanni has reached the end. She wrote a doctoral thesis on her work for the University of Art and Design. The thesis, which was examined just over a month ago, looks at artistic activity as part of the planning of a residential environment.
The cultural strata and history of the area come out in an eye-opening manner in both the art, and in the streets themselves, which are named after artists.
There are works of art in stairways, and even behind closed doors, but there is also much to see outside the buildings.
The work of art in the area's first common yard is a wall-like ceramic sculpture 12 metres long by Päivi Kiuru, Maarit Mäkelä, and Johanna Rytkölä, which follows the contours of the old shoreline.
In the same place there was once the old pier of the Arabia factory.
There are serigraphy prints on the surface of the work on the different phases of the factory and the people working there.
Anne Siirtola has also dealt with the history of the Arabia factory in her work.
She has enlivened the red brick wall of a gateway on Gunnel Nymanin katu with a mosaic work. This is emphasised in the old ceramic shards that she has found in the area: fuses, pieces of china with labels from the 1920s, and ears of coffee cups, through which the viewer can stick a finger.
Some of the works of art are so subtle that recognising them brings a thrill of discovery.
Kirsi Kiviranta has collected stories from cyclists in the area, which have been printed into the bricks in the gateway.
Looking from further away, the texts cannot even be seen, but closer it is possible to actually read the story: "One morning I went cycling and I was on the bridge to Kulosaari..." is how one of them begins.
Maria Tuominen, who lives in the same building, is in the yard with her two-year-old son Nuutti. She says that Arabianranta has a community feel to it in any case, but that the art adds to the sense of togetherness. She feels that in a new neighbourhood it is good that art reminds the residents of the history of the area.
"The works are a natural part of the houses and yards, and in not in a way that would overstate it. In the area there are many small children, and they will also get used to the fact that art is an important part of the environment. People also want to take good care of the environment."
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 28.4.2005
HANNU PÖPPÖNEN / Helsingin Sanomat
hannu.popponen@hs.fi