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| artist |
Stuart Wrede (1944 - )
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| sculpture |
Kesämonumentti / Summer Monument (Temporary) |
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map | Pikkuparlamentti park, Mannerheimintie |
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Stuart Wrede’s environment work entitled Summer Monument was constructed in the midst of the Finnish summer infront of the newly-built Little Parliament building located in the heart of the City. As the image above shows, the work consisted of large blocks of ice piled on top of each other to form one large block. The ice work was constructed on 3. August of 2005 and was estimated to melt within 3-4 weeks, after which the melted ice was to fill the nearby fountain.
Summer Monument can be described as a performance choreographed by the laws of nature. On thawing, the work transformed from a clean-cut geometry to an organic form defined by natural causes. According to Wrede, Summer Monument is comparable to a traditional fountain, only that its origins took another form.
The work is also comparable to a performance only that in this instance ice, wind, sun, and rain were the main performers and determinants of the work. Furthermore, Summer Monument contains elements of both summer and winter, of permanence and perishability, reminding us of the current changes in the environment and effects of global warming.
The architect and environmental artist Stuart Wrede was born in Finland but studied and worked in the USA for the most part of his life. He moved back to Finland in 2003. Whilst working in Finland in the beginning of the 1970s he became a member of the artists group Elonkorjaajat (transl. Harvesters).
Summer Monument consisted of 25 ice cubes, weighed 27 tonnes, measured 3 x 3 x 3 metres and after melting was transferred to the fountain located in the park infront of the Little Parliament. The blocks of ice originated and were transported to Helsinki for the work from Pello, Lapland.
©
The artist
© Helsinki City Artmuseum
WWW-production: Lasipalatsin Mediakeskus Oy,
Flammable Solutions Oy 2001
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