The art collection of the Vaasa Central Hospital H Building
The so-called Percent for Art Principle was applied in procuring art for the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital in order to bring joy to both the hospital’s customers as well as the people who work there. The art found in the H building comprises both works commissioned for the hospital and deposited works. In addition, photographs from the various municipalities of the wellbeing services county can be found printed on different surfaces.
The works of the art project
Presentation of Pekka Lind's art collection | I have no artistic talent of my own. I could hardly even draw a stick figure. The greatest achievement of my artistic life has happened as a little boy in a well-known Finnish folk play, where I had to draw a "spider's picture" on Muttinen Aapel's wall board! That too required a lot of guidance from the older boys. To this day, I still don't know how I succeeded, because the audience just burst out laughing at the picture I drew with charcoal. It was definitely best for me to move from making art to the buyer side.
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The series of works “Turkoosi virtaus” (turquoise flow) by Terhi Ekebom, on exhibit in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital comprises eight sea-themed paintings. The series depicts water as a gentle and supportive element, a turquoise refuge of constant movement. The direction of the flow aligns with the direction the users of the hospital move through the space.
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The series of ceramic sculptures “Valoa pinnan alla” (Light beneath the surface) by Paula Blåfield, located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital depicts the rich underwater world of the flads and gloes of the Northern Quark. A variety of underwater growth glimmers as the sun sheds light on them through the water.
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Created by the sculptor Kim Jotuni, “Puu” (tree) located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital is made of laminated pine board and painted pine squares set on a background of birch plywood. Jotuni wanted to make a wooden work for the hospital due to the material being an ecologically sound choice and also because the material goes hand in hand with the theme of the work.
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The series of works created for the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital by the visual artist Janna Syvänoja comprises the works “Laguuni” ( Lagoons), “Maa kohoaa” (The ground rises) and “Kaislikossa” (In the reeds) . Syvänoja collected the material for the works from beaches. For her, the material in itself constitutes an important point of departure for the content and visual expression of the work. The original materials, familiar to everyone, remain themselves in the work, reminding of their past.
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The painting “Vistiahon lato Kiiskiseltä” (Vistiaho barn from Kiiskinen) by the painter Elina Försti is located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital. Försti wanted to make for the hospital a painting of an intact and upright barn. In her painting, she wanted to depict the period of early spring when some of the fields have already been ploughed, but some old stubble still remains. Spring is a significant time of the year for Elina Försti, as that is when light is at its purest and the waking nature at its most beautiful.
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The sculpture “Exuvia” by sculptors Pekka and Teija Isorättyä is located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital and depicts a common blue damselfly found in gulfs of seas and lakes. The Isorättyä couple got the idea for the sculpture on a hot summer morning while sailing on waters of the Northern Quark. A large group of turquoise common blue damselflies flew around their boat, like dancing pixies.
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The animation “Landet andas” (The Ground breaths) by Geir Byrkjeland depicts our unique archipelago. The work is located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital. The Vaasa region is home to one of the few geological phenomena that can be experienced during a person’s lifetime. The phenomenon in question is land uplift, a remnant of the last ice age.
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Created by the ceramicist Laura Pehkonen, the series of works “Merellä” (at sea) is a viewable and touchable abstract ceramic wall relief. Located on the walls of the 4th through to 6th floors of the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital, the work is a collage composed of several parts made out of unique, hand-made ceramic pieces.
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The series of works “Herbarium” by the photographer Sandra Kantanen, located in the H Building of the Vaasa Central Hospital presents familiar and exotic plants with microscopic precision. The plants are photographed with a scanner and the resulting images are processed to such a large size that even the smallest details can stand out. The almost unnatural precision of the images manages to uncover something about the structure of nature.
View moreObjectives of the art project
The following objectives were established for art of the H building in connection with the art programme:
1. Art creates focal points, directs access and helps in orienting and moving around the hospital by creating clearly distinct series.
2. Art is introduced in places where people will stop and wait, sometimes even for long periods of time. The objective is for the art to inspire emotional experiences and provide a variety of perspectives for approaching the environment and life.
3. Art promotes feeling at home for people who must stay at the hospital and in bedrest for longer periods of time, while providing the space an aesthetic and thought-provoking dimension.
4. Art, architecture and high-quality operation of the hospital combine to create an image of a modern hospital that considers the patients, personnel and guests holistically, thus promoting recovery. Art increases the feeling of safety, communicates the high quality of the operations and the appreciation given to all of the hospital’s users.
We have tried to meet these goals with art acquisitions. The backbone of the art of the Vaasa Central Hospital's H building is formed by four commissioned works of art, which are the main work at the entrance Exuvia, an art ensemble of elevator lobbies by three different artists, an ensemble of works located in the outdoor spaces of psychiatry Wood and the works placed in the three waiting rooms selected. In addition to them, art has been deposited in the restaurant and dayrooms as well as in the staff's break rooms From Pekka Lindi's collection of works. In addition to individual works of art, details that facilitate orientation have been brought into the everyday life of the hospital's users with the help of wall murals and photo boards.
Photos: Sami Pulkkinen
The Ostrobothnian coast as the theme
Thematically, the hospital’s collection of art aligns with the theme of Ostrobothnian coast assigned to the entire hospital in its architectural design. The theme is further divided into the following subthemes: harbour (floors 00 and 0), lagoons (floors 1–3), beach (floors 4–6) and sea (floors 7–8). This theme of the Ostrobothnian coast is present in many of the art works at the hospital.
From the outset, the objective of the art project was to carry out the artist selection as transparently as possible and give all artists the opportunity to offer their works for the hospital. The open call for portfolios, carried out in early 2021, garnered widespread interest among artists and a total of 225 portfolios were submitted.
An open call for photographs was also carried out for the photographic wallpapers and prints. Carried out in 2021, the open call obtained a total of nearly 1,000 photographs. A total of 33 photographs were selected, including at least one from every municipality of the joint municipal authority. Some of these photographs were used in photographic wallpapers and some as large prints. In addition, there are nature-themed photographic prints by photographer Tero Makkonen hung on the walls in select locations at the hospital.
Art project working group
The art work group of Vaasa Central Hospital's H-building and the selection of artists have been responsible for the art work, which includes the chairperson of the art work group Monica Siren-Aura, the technical director of the Ostrobothnia welfare region Ulf Stenbacka, the administrative director Juha Post (until the end of 2021), the design engineer Sanna Ahola and the architect Elina Salakari of Arkkitehdit Kontukoski. Art expertise is represented by Aki Koskinen, a representative of the Vaasa Artists' Association appointed to the art working group, and the project's art coordinator Frei Zimmer Oy and especially Heini Orell, who works as the project's art coordinator. In addition, regarding the selection of the hospital's main work, Sanni Seppo, an artist member nominated by the Society of Finnish Artists, acted as an artistic expert in the project. The hospital's staff have also been given the opportunity to comment on the art coming to the hospital in connection with the preparation of the art program in the form of a survey aimed at the entire staff and through personal presentations aimed at different functional groups. The staff has also been allowed to choose the works that will be in their own break rooms.
Once the hospital opens, its extensive art collection can be admired by the public.
“I am certain that everyone can find a work to their liking in the H building,” says Ulf Stenbacka, Technical Director for the Vaasa Central Hospital.
It's nice that you don't have to go to Vaasa to be treated yourself. I am an art lover from Helsinki.