Laukaa: ice and snow at Järvilinna

Järvilinna Art Centre at Laukaa, Central Finland (15 km north from Jyväskylä) hosted an ice sculpting competition on Feb 10-14, finishing on Valentine's Day.  A good reason to visit the place which has art on display also indoors in the lovely main building (1891) and the surrounding buildings where some local artists have their own studios.

The ice sculptures have attracted many other visitors as well and that is no wonder; this is not a typical art form in Finland, although you might easily think so, as we have plenty of ice available for a considerable time each year.  The five teams invited to take part in the competition were from Finland, Mongolia and China (the Russian team canceled at the last minute). 

The winner was the humorous Kiss by the team from  Mongolia (Lkhagvadorj Dorjsuren and Bayarsaikhan Bazarsad). It suited well the competition's theme - love / friendship (in Finland, Feb 14 is celebrated as Friends' Day, not associated with romantic love).  I can't stop wondering at the fantastic, carefully made details - from the tail of the ox (with a knot in it) to the rose and necklace of his cute, slightly shy girlfriend.

After a cup of hot chocolate at the café of Järvilinna we pick up our snowshoes and follow the local road for about a kilometre until we locate a cross country skiing trail that will lead us to a log shelter not too far away. As always, you are not supposed to walk on the skiing tracks, so we leave our snowshow footprints on the side of the skiing track, careful not to disturb it. The trail is used all year round but in the winter, the skiing folk naturally take priority.

I must admit that the skiing track looks lovely and this would be a great route for cross-country skiing. However, no matter how slow snowshoeing is, it is such fun to be walking here, taking it easy in the midst of pure, white snow, guessing which animal has left this or that footprint. Those must have been left by a hare, and that must have been a squirrel?

Walking slowly uphill we finally arrive at the log shelter where it would be possible to make a fire. This time we simply sit down to have a cup of tea.

The guest book of the shelter reveals that the majority of previous visitors have been here on cross country skis. They have meticulously written down their kilometres after their names (14 km, 10 km, etc.). Oh no, I'd better just write my name and not record the somewhat embarrasing 3 km. Only ;-)

After the short break at the shelter we turn to walk back to Järvilinna (about 1 km from here through the woods) but this time we decide not to follow the skiing track. The distance is so short and we are sure not to miss the road close by if we just manage to stick to the right direction. It is liberating to once again choose our own way in the snow. Round that tree, and then over there...

The air here is pure; as a sign of that, there is hanging moss on the trees. The snow gets deeper in the openings between the trees but is nevertheless easy to walk on. We start to climb up a small hill, Vierumäki.

We pass by a large rock and a pole that is painted red. I wonder what it means. It is very hard to say if there is something special about it now that it is covered with snow and ice.

The fresh little hole in an old spruce is an easier puzzle to solve: it must have been made by a woodpecker only recently. Probably a black woodpecker, to be exact.

 

We descend the hill, going round the steep rocky slope, and arrive by the side of a field. On its other side we can already see the road that leads to Järvilinna Art Centre. One more chance to see the lovely ice sculptures!

It is already getting late in the afternoon and the lights have been switched at the Art Centre. The skiing Moomin figure welcomes us back to Järvilinna.

Limits of Love (Pasi Ahokas & Juha Käkelä) became third in the ice sculpture competition, together with the team from China. Angels and Demons can be friends or even lovers, at least on Valentine's Day.

I step back to my favourite sculpture, The Kiss. The Mongolian team have impressed me most with their delicate, yet fun sculptures. I can't get over the eyelashes made of ice! Simply fabulous.

Thanks to all the ice artists at Järvilinna!

Jyväskylä: what if...Concert hall underwater?

My evening walk has taken me to Mattilanniemi campus by lake Jyväsjärvi where these strange lights pierce the frozen lake. What if... The long-planned concert hall had already been built in Jyväskylä. What if it was summer, not winter. What if the concert hall was underwater, not under ice - like it now seems to be? 

Kari Alonen is a local artist and sculptor who has created this work of art on the ice, using old skylights from the local health centre (that's why they have numbers on them). If I hadn't spotted a short newspaper article about this, I wouldn't have a clue of what it is about; it would be "just" a lighting installation.

Alonen has imagined what an underwater concert hall would look like in the winter, with the skylights popping out through the snow and ice.The concert hall has been planned in Jyväskylä for ages, but so far the project has always been postponed until later, due to lack of funding. Alonen jokingly proposed this as a cost-efficient alternative.

I recognize the metal wire ball as one of Alonen's previous works that has been on display here earlier as well. I start toying with the underwater concert hall idea but soon find that my feet are pretty firmly on the ground instead. How would you enter the underwater concert hall? How much water is there in this part of the lake? How big a concert hall would fit underwater right here?

The freshly fallen snow covers the skylights and they cast an eerie light on the ice. What if you could have a peek into the concert hall through the skylights through the windows when walking on the ice in February? Would it be possible to paddle over the concert hall with a kayak? Walk over it in knee-high water? Can't help thinking about Feet in the water (by Eva & Manu)! How clear is the lake water several meters deep in the lake - when looking through the windows of the concert hall, would you be able to watch the fish swim?

You can go on and on thinking what if... However, for now I'll look at this light installation as a work of art and not take it too deep.

Korpilahti: Path of Sin

Korpilahti is a community about 30 kilometres south from Jyväskylä. Since 2009 it has been officially part of the city of Jyväskylä, but I somehow feel that there haven't been too many changes taking place here - at least not to a visitor's eye. Quite a few smaller communities in Finland have joined forces with their bigger neighbours in the past few years to save money in administration etc. Korpilahti's history as an independent community goes back to 1867 and this mill by Korpijoki river is almost as old, dating to 1874. I reach the frozen shore of the narrow river but at this time of the year I can't see or hear water flowing beneath the ice and snow.

The interesting looking wooden structure that is hanging on the outer wall surely isn't just a decoration. After making my way through the snow to the wall and a piece of paper I get an idea of what it is, based on the black and white photo: originally this piece was part of a horizontal wooden structure to which a horse was tied. The horse walked round a pole, rotating this large wooden wheel, which in turn must have kept another piece of machinery in motion. Unfortunately there are no further details available.

The other buildings at the Old Mill (Vanha mylly) are not painted red but have become grey over the years. This is truly the old style.

There is a narrow path, made by previous walkers, up from the mill, following the river. No, I can't make myself call it a river... Rather, it is a narrow brook. I reach the pedestrian bridge and turn back just before the highway. This must be a gorgeous place in the spring!

I pass the Old Mill area and follow the footpath towards the centre of Korpilahti, reaching Martinpolku (Martti's Path) which is clearly the main street here. The street is named after Martti Korpilahti who was not only born with the name of the community itself but gained fame in Central Finland as a poet and a music man, besides being a teacher in Jyväskylä. Martti Korpilahti was proud to be born in the area and his lyrics depict his love of Central Finland. Besides Martinpolku, Mr Korpilahti has had another path named after him in the city of Jyväskylä by lake Tuomiojärvi.

There are both old and new buildings along Martinpolku. As usual, I feel more at home with the wooden ones and am glad that there are quite a few of them left, and some seem to have been or are being renovated as well.

Synninpolku literally means a Path of Sin. What on earth is this? The sign points down but actually the Path of Sin starts a bit lower and leads to the very top of the hill, to the church. Very probably the path gained its name because of the fairly steep hill - perhaps the walkers felt the sweat on their foreheads and had time to think about all their wrongdoings when climbing to the top, to ask for forgiveness in the church. Right next to the path, the red building, dating to 1777,  houses the local museum which is only open in summertime. The building first first served as a belfry but it became a granary later.

I feel compelled to follow the Path of Sin. It isn't Sunday today so I am sure the church doors will be closed but at least I'll get the feel of the path. On the piece of paper that is taped on the litter bin it modestly says "a walking route to the church hill" instead. Come on, be proud! Not every village has a Path of Sin!

The partly snow-covered granite statue by the Path of Sin pays homage to Martti Korpilahti, who else! I make my own trail in the snow to walk to it and round it and wonder what the story behind it is. I have no idea what Mr Korpilahti looked like so can't say if the statue has his profile or not. The poet's own words are engraved in the stone: En kotiseudulleni tiedä vertaa (There is no place like my home region).

Step by step I get closer to the top of the hill. I can imagine that on a hot summer's day it would be easy to feel the burden of your sins walking up there, especially the sin of laziness, if you're not too fit. The wooden belfry meets me first; its architectural style is somewhat different, a bit more decorative, than that of the church behind it. Also, the paint is not the same colour. 

Korpilahti's lutheran church is the third church here; the first was built in 1693 and this last one, designed by architect Charles Bassi, dates to 1827. I try the door but since there is no service today, the door remains closed. One of the architects who have been involved in the restoration work of this church over the years was Alvar Aalto, back in 1928.

The footpath on the top of the church hill doesn't go a full circle so I need to retrace my steps back towards the Path of Sin. What a great view this hill offers! If only it were a sunny day, it would be even greater - and I can't even imagine how wonderful it must look like when the lake Päijänne glitters down below in the summer. However, I get a sinful thought when walking down the Path of Sin. I wish I had a sled! It would be great to sled down the hill, no matter how much I enjoy walking.

I pass the old museum building and continue along the Path of Sin down towards the harbour. The rock fence is covered in snow and ice, with little works of Nature's art on the rocks.

There are also traces of human hand. A date from 1849 has been carved in stone, if I read it right.

Across the road, there is a quiet area with lots of boats having a rest under tarpaulins until the spring arrives again. The red brick building next to me these days houses Korpilahti's theatre; originally, there was a steam generator for the saw mill.

And before the theatre moved to its current location, it was located in another red brick building at the harbour area, close to Satamakapteeni café-restaurant which is open all year round. Part of the text painted on the red brick building has been erased - the word 'theatre'-  so it now spells Korpilahden kesä (Korpilahti's summer) instead. Today the building is home to an art gallery and an arts & crafts shop: Höyrygalleria and Emalipuu. 

The art gallery upstairs now displays paintings by Marja Hirvinen in her exhibition on enchanting landscapes, Maisemien lumous. I can imagine that quite a few of them have been inspired right here, enjoying the atmosphere of Korpilahti and lake Päijänne. It is easy to forget about the snow when you look at her work.

The gallery itself is charming as well. My eyes are drawn to the bright red chairs that keep an eye on the gallery visitors like two old and alert ladies.

I return back outside and breath in the vast landscape that opens before my eyes, with black dots moving rhythmically on the ice, pairs of skis sliding forward. Korpilahti and lake Päijänne - what a great combination.

Espoo: Jaume Plensa in the midst of dreams

Jaume Plensa: Day. Night. (2012).

It is a dark but far from stormy night. I head towards the most interesting light in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland: a colour-changing statue sitting high up in the air that looks exactly like its cousins in Jaume Plensa's artwork called Conversation in Nice that he has created at Place Masséna in Nice, France. However, there doesn't seem to be too much conversation in the air by the main entrance to the exhibition centre Weegee. The statue on top of the pillar in Espoo is all alone whereas in Nice there are seven companions who communicate between themselves in the language of colours.

I enter the exhibition centre and get a warm welcome: there is free entry on Wednesday evenings at 6-8 pm. My target is the Spanish-born artist Jaume Plensa's (1955-) exhibition at EMMA, Espoo Museum of Modern Art on the upper floor.

Jaume Plensa: Nuage IV (2012).

I am captivated by the almost egg-shaped cloud that consists entirely of letters and characters in different languages. Letters join together to create words, words move you, you get carried away by your thoughts and it all becomes a story.

As always, dreams and words cast their shadows that each have their own stories.

Jaume Plensa: In the Midst of Dreams (2009).

The large, silent (but perhaps not mute) heads rest on a bed of white rocks. Despite the outward calm, I can sense anxiety inside them, in the midst of dreams. There are few words on their faces, such as ignorance, wrath, desire. Am I reading the words inside their heads or what someone else is thinking when he or she sees them?

On the other side of the large exhibition hall there are a couple of flat human figures hanging in the air, with thoughts curling above them. Imagination is more important than knowledge. The man sitting on a bench is wondering Enough or too much? The walker states Exuberance is beauty. It is so easy to move very slowly from one work of art to another and let it get to you.

Jaume Plensa: Glückauf? (2004).

There are few visitors at this hour and the atmosphere is that of peace. The curtains that are suspended before the back wall consist of letters but what is their story? What do they say? At first I have no idea but when I get closer to the gently turning strings of letters, I realize that there are indeed words. I walk to the left and start mumbling to my self, hoping that nobody will hear me as I read slowly from top to bottom.  Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. 

Declaration of Human Rights.  It has taken a lot of work and patience to build this work of art but it will take so much longer to see the declaration become true.

I slip beneath the white figures sitting on the walls, their heads facing down. Hear no evil. The dark rooms invite me, only max 10 people at a time, and the eerie, white heads hanging in the air, lit so beautifully, silence me to study their faces on which few words are written. Day, Night, Moon, Sun. Someone's face spells Air, on another I read Poetry. In the other dark room next door the little heads and torsos have other stories written all over them. Panic. Stress. Mania. Life is not but a dream.

I descend the stairs and leave the quiet of the exhibition hall, to meet the happy noises of children who are just getting ready to leave after a birthday party at the museum café. Dreaming of what?

I turn my eyes off the concrete path towards the lawn and the trees. Some of them are kept warm by knit graffiti. Somebody's fulfilled his or her dream by dressing the tree trunks.

I follow the quiet Ahertajankatu street back towards the center of Tapiola and its maze of shops and buildings that are far less pleasing to the eye than the thoughtful artwork I just met. My thoughts escape these autumn surroundings and fly towards the Mediterranean and another work by Jaume Plensa. Nomade sits on the bastion by the sea in Antibes, France, having stopped on his travels to gaze at the sea, his body formed of large white letters. I remember stepping inside Nomade, sitting down, turning my eyes towards the azure sea and thinking about where I am, where will I go next.

Thanks, EMMA.

Helsinki: Everyday discoveries

I am strolling across Kasarmitori square in Helsinki when I notice a red and white sign hanging from a lamp post. I don't think it's been there before, at least not for long. "My daughter is obsessed with Moomin, I'm not sure why. I think he is like all Finns, the strong and silent type!"

The little arrow suggests that I should check out the other side of the sign. What is this about? Could it be that there is a tagged route in Helsinki, similar to what there was in Turku last year, when Turku was European Capital of Culture and there was a great collection of 50 comics posted around town? Helsinki Tagged! I wonder if I've got time for a visit to Suvilahti today?

I meander through Esplanadi park and the busy shopping areas towards the central railway station. Another red and white thingy, like a piece of ribbon made into a chair. Which is now occupied by father and child. Happy Birthday Helsinki 200? Come on, the city was founded in 1550... However, Happy 200 Birthday Helsinki is instead celebrating the fact that it is Helsinki has been Finland's capital for 200 years - after the capital was moved from the original capital Turku to Helsinki.

I decide to make a detour to Suvilahti but this time I cheat and don't walk there. Instead, I take the underground to Kalasatama, the closest stop to the exhibition area. Suvilahti is only a short walk away and although I've never visited the area, it is easy to follow the signs towards the sea. There are tips painted also on the asphalt - like Ihana kahvila vain 1250 m (Lovely café only 1250 m). This is very promising.

I wonder what I am actually looking for, or forward to. Someone else has walked here before me, perhaps a bit doubtful? In Search of the Ridiculous...

The colourful flags point out the beginning of the Everyday Discoveries exhibition area. They are no ordinary flags but unique works of art. Another discovery.

While passing a dull grey lamp post, I detect another poetic sight. Broken Street Poetry. There must be a wild poet loose around town, leaving his or her lines in unexpected places. To be discovered.

Entering the Everyday Discoveries exhibition, part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 program, takes me to a former power plant area which these days acts as a cultural venue. This exhibition has been titled a mini world expo of design, with participants from many different countries. Torino, Italy has contributed to the exhibition a tiny, egg shaped showroom, and a fiery red Fiat 500 in addition to other design products.

Kattilahalli exhibition halls house lots of everyday design from clothes to lamps and chairs. However, on most chairs there seems to be a sign: Do not sit. Also on this massive, yet light Turkish chair for two so I don't dare to try it. Imagination Playground makes a difference: children are already playing with the elastic blue pieces that can be joined together to form different shapes.

I return back to fresh air and step aside from the exhibition area. Round the corner, there is another discovery: a window on the rusted corrugated iron shack has been covered with black veneer and someone has made it into a simple work of art with white tape: it has become a window.

Back to more Everyday discoveries. There are many colourful containers scattered on the large exhibition area, and one of them is Helsinki Plant Tram, a project produced by British Council Finland. However, this tram is not on rails...Perhaps it was grounded here, being literally taken over by a large number of plants on its roof. A local environmental organization Dodo  has been involved in the project in addition to Wayward Plants from London.

One part of the project was to collect plants - in a way! The tram container, container tram, or tram stop - whatever to call this one! - is covered with sheets of paper which each include a plant that someone has donated to the project. Not a real plant, though, but a picture and a story of a plant. Laura has drawn redcurrant for which she can't find a place in her yard.

The project continues right behind my back. I start walking beside the rollercoaster-shaped garden (built to resemble the Linnanmäki amusement park rollercoaster in Helsinki) which is absolutely full of different kinds of plants. A fantastic idea!

I rub some leaves gently against my fingers and smell the fresh peppermint. Not just nice things to see but to smell as well. There is plenty to discover: onions, different flowers, herbs... I can't name them all. A project like this is a real treasure and it reminds me of Miracle Garden that made passers-by happy in Helsinki Railway Station from May onwards this summer.

The rollercoaster garden is surrounded by design-filled containers. One of them contains a café from which a wonderful smell of coffee is floating to mix with the scent of the plants. There are some chairs and tables amidst the meandering garden. It really makes a difference to have a garden on this grey asphalt.

Only few steps away, there is less green art but from 100% natural ingredients - Nordic design from Norway. There are two interesting wooden constructions that act as gateways: Pixel Pine Portal (made by Ida Nilson, Elisia Kathleen Brask, Annhild Kjørsvik)

and Allports Portal that you only really get when you walk slowly through it. Pixel Pine Portal was awarded the 1st prize at Bergen International Wood Festival in May 2012 and Allports Portal received 3rd prize.

Allports Portal (Vidar Laksfors, Are-Dag Eriksen, Frode Ljøkjell) reminds me a a huge wooden bird, with wings like wooden crates, and it starts to make a noise as soon as I take a first step on it - and the platform gives way, sliding to the ground. I take another step, advance further, and the "wings" move with me, strings pulling pieces of wood up and down. I feel compelled to step back, step forward, just to watch and listen to the sounds this giant bird portal makes. She likes to play.

Leaving the portals behind, I step inside another container. Here it is: the white walled Helsinki Tagged that lured me to come right here from another part of town! So there was a map to help finding all the tags scattered around Helsinki.

There are some Helsinki Tagged! signs on the corrugated iron walls, for example number 74/80 - or actually, it has to be a copy of one. According to the map, the original seems to be somewhere else. I live near this villa, it used to be so full of life, but now it is in really bad shape, it is so sad. My sister and I dream of turning it into a small concert hall some day. I wish I could have walked round Helsinki to discover all of these tags and their stories!

On the container opposite there are many ancient, red Viewmasters hanging from the ceiling, in ghost style. They are not just a piece of art in themselves but allow you to make a brief visit to the streets of Dublin. When viewing the images, I discover Dublin Tagged! project and a collection of short everyday stories and pictures from this great city. When I happen to find see pictures of places that I faintly remember from years ago, it feels simply wonderful to look at a place like that through a local person's memory related to that place.

After Dublin experience, I take a peek into a couple more design containers but I feel I've already made plenty of discoveries for today. My absolute favourites at Suvilahti are the rollercoaster garden, Helsinki / Dublin Tagged! and as the last item, perhaps the handmade flags of countries. Finnish flag looks much more fun like this...

The exhibition Everyday discoveries and Helsinki Tagged! project finished on Sep 16, 2012. Time for new discoveries. They are everywhere.