Newsroom

Newsroom

A Jewel-Like Art Piece Won Aalto Töölö’s Invited Art Competition

Artist Sakari Kannosto's artwork titled ‘Kiertää’ deals with the circle of life, achievements and the rewarding of expectations. The piece will be located in the staircase space at Aalto Töölö. It describes communality, growth, ambition, courage, winning, responsibility, and waiting for the future and all things new. The piece, made of polished brass pipe, serves as a spatial artwork in the staircase, depicting the seed-bearing branch of a Norway maple.

Photo: Sakari Kannosto

29.5.2020

Public art at Aalto Töölö seeks to find a contrast to the historical building and its visually impressive interior. Formerly home to Aalto University School of Business, the iconic main building is currently undergoing renovation and modernization. 

“This artwork makes great use of vertical space and draws visitors’ attention to the staircase. It also reflects beautifully the motifs repeated in the many details of the important building, all the way down to the material choices. For the future main user of the property, Aalto University Executive Education, art is an essential part of both the customer and staff experience. Moreover, the versatile presence of art in each and every space highlights the multidisciplinary nature of Aalto University,” says Dr. Pekka Mattila, Group Managing Director for Aalto EE and Professor of Practice at Aalto University School of Business.

Aalto Töölö represents a functionalist style. Architects Woldemar Baeckman and Hugo Harmia were in charge of designing the facilities of the building completed in 1950. The building belongs to the international Docomomo register, which means that it is listed as a protected representative of modern architecture. The renovation and modernization of the building began in May 2019, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. 

Aalto University's Vision for Public Art

In 2017, Aalto University decided to comply with the one per cent art principle in its building projects. Aalto Töölö is the fourth Aalto University construction project in which approximately one per cent of the building project’s funds are allocated to art procurements. The principle was first applied to the Radical Nature art concept in Aalto University’s main building Dipoli.

Aalto University's vision for public art is to raise and ask questions about what the university is, what we are doing as part of society and what the concept ‘public’ means. Public art is site-specific and linked to the diversity of the university and its disciplines. Public artworks reflect this diversity through different art forms, materials, techniques and traditions.

The winner was chosen by a jury including Aalto University's Vice President for Research Ossi Naukkarinen, Aalto University Board Vice Chair and Director General at Nationalmuseum, Sweden, Susanna Pettersson, independent art critic, gallerist and curator Veikko Halmetoja and GMD of Aalto University Executive Education and Professor of Practice at the Aalto University School of Business Pekka Mattila. Aalto University's Art Coordinator Outi Turpeinen coordinated the selection process.

More Information About Aalto EE

Dr. Pekka Mattila, Group Managing Director, Professor of Practice 
Aalto University Executive Education Ltd 
Telephone: +358 40738 7221 
pekka.mattila@aaltoee.fi 

More Information about Aalto University Art Vision

Outi Turpeinen, Art Coordinator, Aalto University  
Telephone +358 50 431 4194 
outi.turpeinen@aalto.fi

Aalto University Executive Education Ltd 

Aalto University Executive Education offers high-quality leadership development services (Aalto EE), professional development services for experts and managers (Aalto PRO), and creative solutions covering the whole life-cycle of entrepreneurship (Aalto ENT). Aalto University brings to our offering a multidisciplinary approach, together with innovative learning methods; this provides a unique combination of practical expertise with latest research. 

Aalto University Executive Education’s strengths lie in its global operating model and diverse offering. In addition to Finland and Singapore, we offer programs in several locations. Aalto University Executive Education holds three respected accreditations: AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS certificates. This places it in the top 0.5 per cent of the world’s institutions.