Heini Aho’s new public artwork Washed Ashore by a Thought was unveiled in Helsinki. The 5-piece work is spread amongst the small pier platforms surrounding Sompasaari in Kalasatama. Based on her observations of the area, Aho created the works suggesting various ways to engage with the landscape. Aho’s sculptural elements combine with texts she created in collaboration with poet Virpi Vairinen. The works, curated by HAM Helsinki Art Museum, will be added to the City of Helsinki’s art collection.
Aho noticed that people often stand on the pier platform alone, watching the sea. In Breath, a shell holds small objects and is accompanied by an engraved image of bladderwrack and the line, “Ajatus kutsuu luokseen toista” (“A thought invites another”).
Heat Reaction – The Island of the Eternal Yawn asks: where is the line between catching a yawn and spreading them? A tiger paw print reminds us of the Siberian tiger that lives in Korkeasaari zoo on the island opposite the platform.
In Elevating, a palm holds a shell. The Finnish line “aallon laella haahka kahlaa vaahto haihtuu aava vaihtuu” (“on the crest of the wave, an eider wades, foam dissipates, a sea changes”) plays phonetically and visually with the movement of the sea waves.
Energy Islet – Monument to Carbon Black comprises of the charred remains of logs engraved with the colour code for carbon black (0,0,0). The monument pays tribute to the various shades of black and carbon’s enormous significance for life on Earth.
Little Hylkysaari Island toys with the idea of an urban recycling and lost-and-found station. It refers to the nearby Hylkysaari – Shipwreck Island in English – and the treasures washed up by the sea.
Photo: Heini Aho
