Walking around Helsinki

It’s a while since I saw a park in the neighborhood  that I promise myself I’d have visited and finally today I did pay it a visit. I passed  by the park several time by car and my attention was grabbed by the apparently random sculptures scattered around. Mainly from the car windows I was amused by the marble pillow that was just in view, thus I took my little camera and this morning I trotted around and snap some shots. I was quite surprise by the range and the location of the sculptures, I am quite sure I missed some as some of them are quite hidden. I started from the above mentioned “Marble pillow” (no frills with the name) that is what it is: a pillow made in marble, it also give the idea of softness and pillowy nature but I can assure it is rock-hard Around it you can find the topsy turvy (and gigantic) table, and some other more abstract pieces that I haven’t portrait at this time because of the lighting conditions. On the right end side, at the end of this part of the garden there is probably the cutest art piece: the “View from Grand Popo“. This sculpture comprise 4 goats that brought up to my memory Heidi running on the alps peaks along with Peter, Snow-flake (the goat) and the sleepy dog Nebbia (I am not sure if the translation of the name from the italian would have worked so I reported it as it was). Probably for this reason I found it quite cute and relaxing…despite the huge Silja Line ferry in the background its a reminder of the distance from the mountain scenery. From this position I was also able to spot the sparkly sculpture on the other side of the ridge that I nearly forgot despite the huge bended “golf ball” is everything but discrete even in distance. Thus I got on the bridge and to the next installation comprising the 3 abstractions. The bended “golf ball” is the biggest but I would say that it is less interesting when you can appreciate the beauty of the chrome meteor-like “and Then…?” standing few steps from it. This is the most striking one of the lot, it has a very galactic feeling and it keep changing while you walk around it. The reflective metallic surface is attractive and play with the deep green around and the sun light creating textures and adding to the dynamic feel of the sculpture. The third member of this lot is the black shiny “blob” that was kind of blending in the background at first glance but I kept thinking that it has a familiar feel…untill I looked back at it to take a shot of the ensemble and I realized how “Wroom” (understated name) resembles a varnished burned turkey and laughed at the idea of the big oven necessary for such a Thanksgiving day food feast (SDB you would spend day preparing your great mouth-watering fillings…and the German would have his appetite satisfied too eheh). Proceeding towards the end of the garden on this side there is this big piece that reminded me the olive grounding wheels, part of my youth and son of Tuscany upbringing. The title (“Time takes its time“)was quite unrelated I could not get a grip on the association to the piece, yet the rustic feeling and the mirror surfaces lifted the sculpture regardless the name.

Tucked in a corner, apparently hiding from the view is the granite less appealing thing that I discovered by chance. It looked quite uninteresting while I was approaching it but when I saw the title (“Chair with a view“) and I realized what it was, I had to climbed up and look around from up there and the view was great. Moreover I really felt as an Emperor for a moment and I thought at the “Throne of Earthly Kings” in Greenwich university that I always admired when I was passing by there (despite the big question mark sculpture that was there before was a better portrait of my mental state in London).

Finally I went up nearby where I left the bike to see the remaining pieces that are quite modern and abstract thus not really my cup of tea. However the “Endangered” had and interesting look and it definitely look like a fossilized condor. The red-grey streaked granite head contrasting with the black of the body suited the piece. In addition the head part also have a remarkably natural eye mark that I believe inspired this piece. “Evil Thoughts” is an interesting crude took on modern society (I think) with a pop-art edge that is interesting but the lighting was bad at this time of the day. The other pieces where very modern and thus I report only the title of one of them: “Hole” by Reika.

On my way out from the garden I just realized that I missed a piece, literally I stepped into it before I saw it. It is probably the more linked to nature and reality of the pieces, the title “Earth’s Heavenly Senses” says it all and the idea is quite good and well performed. It made me a bit unease when I looked at it element by element (especially the hear and the nose), but looking back at it in its entirety it is quite fascinating. I guessed this is one of the piece most suited to several visit at different time to shoot all the textures and shadows and shapes possible.

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