Fanni Maliniemi and Laura Laukkanen. Photo: Heidi Hemmilä

Pienet - mixed media sculpture
Between the Academic Bookstore and Stockmann
Vernissage  1.6. 3pm-4pm
Story: Laura Laukkanen


This summer the streetview in Tuomikirkonkatu will be enriched by a new work of public art.  The very first Summer Artist competition was arranged by the city of Tampere in 2003, the competition got this year 51 entries.  The competition is annually encouraging the artists to plan a site specific work of art for the pedestrian street. Essential part of  the competition is that  the chosen artwork should also communicate with a  stationary black granite pedestal. Pedestal is purchased by the city and was designed originally for a permanent piece of public art.


The jury behind the competition ended up awarding the proposition from TAMK first year Fine Art students Laura Laukkanen and Fanni Maliniemi. The mixed media sculpture called Pienet ” The Small Ones” will be already the third awarded consept upsrang from the fertile grounds of the University of Applied Arts.

Pienet will be an layer of plastic animals cast into resin and placed on the top of the black granite pedestal. The circa 5 centimeters thick and 4 meters long work of art comprises of 4 panels of cast resin. Pienet will be a carnevalistic metaphor for public social behaviour, mass culture and power relations. It dares traditional monumental public art by the unconventional form and propotions, just being plastic and deeply serious blast of plain fun.