Viivasto, a new public art work by Antti Laitinen has been completed in Ruusupuisto, Jyväskylä. The installation was commissioned by the City of Jyväskylä.

The materials used in the work are geometric grids of steel mesh panels and planted rowan trees, standing out against light elements. Seen from the air, the elements form a cross resembling a marking on a map. In autumn and winter, when the trees are bare, the work resembles a reduced line drawing, forming new patterns depending on the direction of the viewer. In spring, when the trees are in bloom, the work gets a colorful canopy. In summer and autumn, during the rowan berry season, it provides shelter and food for birds.

“The key elements of the work are playing with two- and three-dimensionality, the contrasts of light and shadow, and the juxtaposition of natural and controlled growth,” says Laitinen. “In the beginning rowans are still quite delicate, but over the years they grow and strengthen, so the ratio of the trees to the grid is constantly changing.”