Impressive mural art in Kivenlahti
The painting on the underpass walls is part of the Future Stories concept built around sustainable development themes.
An underpass in Kivenlahti has been full of action this summer, as Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services has been preparing a mural on the walls together with the Mimmit peinttaa art collective. Local residents have also been actively involved in planning the mural. The mural examines climate change from the perspective of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. It is located at the intersection of Kivenlahdenkatu and Lainepolku and its unveiling was celebrated on August 16th with whose involved in its creation.
“We wanted to create high-quality street art around sustainable development themes and get local residents involved in the project. The Mimmit peinttaa art collective came up with a wonderful idea of organising local workshops and creating a painting. For us, it was important to examine the future and the changes caused by climate change through hope,” says Senior Producer Riikka Kampara from Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services.
There were many possible locations for the mural, but the team chose an underpass that has often been vandalised.
“We are developing our cultural activities in the Greater Espoonlahti area, so Kivenlahti was a natural choice. We were told that the cleaning of defaced surfaces is very bad for the environment. For example, cleaners used near a water body are absorbed into the soil and then end up in the water causing fish to die,” Kampara adds.
The themes of the resident workshops organised by the Mimmi peinttaa art collective were ‘house of the future’, ‘tree of protection’ and ‘car of tomorrow’. The workshops offered a place for imagination, visions and hope through art. The workshops were run by Leena Pukki, Elina Holley, Viivi Vierinen (Viv Magia), Minttu Pyykkönen and Eka Kosonen (Eka Teriina Vea). Visual artist Leena Pukki is in charge of coordinating the painting work and the artistic planning process.
The aim of the mural is to bring joy to people and help create pleasant urban environments that are accessible to everyone.
“For me as a producer, it is important to carry out meaningful art and cultural projects. I hope that the workshops offered the participants new perspectives on the future and inspiration for hopeful visions. The way I see it, hope is an engine for action that make change happen. Working with sustainable development themes also involves a commitment to environmental responsibility, social justice and economic sustainability,” Kampara says.
Future Stories focuses on sustainable development themes
The Future Stories concept is all about urban culture built around sustainable development themes. Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services creates the content together with residents and partners. The first events related to the Future Stories concept were organised in the summer of 2023.
In addition to the Espoonlahti cultural project, Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services include Espoo Cultural Centre, Sello Hall, Kannusali, Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora and Exhibition Centre WeeGee.