The public competition was announced in November 2008 by The State Art Collection of The Arts Council of Finland, and by April 2009 the organizers had received close to 800 proposals from 166 anonymous artists.

 

Gaia, fabricated from brightly polished stainless steel and suspended from the ceiling, resembles an instrument constructed from organic forms that reflect Finnish nature. It is a soft work that opens towards the main staircase.

 

Laulupuut is a monumental work that combines piano covers with piles of firewood and an ornamental head of a pike, the mythical fish of the Finnish national epic Kalevala, thus mixing images of Finnish traditions and poetry with those of classical music. The materials are steel and aluminium.

 

The jury also awarded second and third prizes in the two categories “main lobby” and “outdoor area”. The second prize in the main lobby category was taken by Kari Cavén and the third prize by Kari Södö. The second prize in the outdoor area category was taken by Tapio Kettunen and the third prize by Pekka Kauhanen. All prize winners are from Finland.

 

Helsinki Music Centre, designed by LPR Architects of Finland, will be Helsinki’s premier concert hall once in operation by 2012. It will be acoustically first class and provide facilities for a wide range of musical experiences and a place to study music. The main users of the building will be the Sibelius Academy, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

 

Artwork proposals selected for the second round of the competition are on display at the Laituri gallery of the Helsinki City Planning Department through January 30, 2010.