Päivi Maunu: SILLIPARVI TAPIOLAN KESKUSALTAASSA, 2016, ympäristötaideteos

Completion year: 2016

Technique: Environmental Art

Shoal of Herring in The Tapiola Fountain 2016

Both the artwork, Shoal of Herring, and its location, the Tapiola Fountain in Espoo, are constructions inspired by nature. The shoal of herring have travelled a long way – from the fishing nets to the jars that contain them, and from the jars to the dinner tables of the inhabitants of Espoo. In the artwork, however, all that is left of the herring are the empty jars. The process of melting the jars opens their mouths into a softened, less rigid form. In this environmental art installation, the random asymmetry and fluid distortions of the work echo the constantly mutating form of the shoal of herring, and reflect the movement of the waterfall in the man-made fountain.

By virtue of its very materials, Shoal of Herring is also a work of community art. The bases have been constructed using material from Nihtisilta Recycling Centre’s glass storage facility. Empty herring jars, the other recycled material in the work, have been collected from the residents of Espoo, with the cooperation of members of the Tapiola Guild. By participating in the installation, Espoo residents have contributed to their visual environment, which enables them to experience it as their own.

Artist's page