Public art · Digital experience · 2018
Hellan
Sydän
A public artwork that transforms regional history into light.
TypePublic artwork
Year2018
LocationPenttilänranta, Joensuu
CollaborationArtist Teijo Karhu
Hellan Sydän is a luminous landmark where public art, industrial heritage and the identity of a place meet.
Created by Samu Aarnio in collaboration with artist Teijo Karhu, the work stands on the former industrial shoreline of Penttilänranta. Its dark, patterned shell protects a glowing inner house — the heart of the work.
01 · Form and structure
A house
within a house
The two-metre-tall work was conceived as a modular outer shell surrounding a translucent inner volume. Perforated surfaces shift between solidity and transparency as daylight fades and the light inside becomes visible.
02 · Light and memory
A monument
that remembers
Hellan Sydän was designed as more than an illuminated object. Its original lighting programme connected the artwork to the history of North Karelia.
Approximately twelve historical events were selected with the North Karelian Historical Association, each associated with a specific date. On those days, the work came alive with a unique sequence of light, colour and rhythm.
Some interpretations drew directly from an event. Others called for imagination: history does not always come with an obvious colour.
Physical work · Digital story
Light drew attention.
The story gave it meaning.
At the same time, the artwork’s website revealed an accompanying text written by historians from the association. The physical monument and its digital counterpart worked together to turn a date in the calendar into a shared encounter with regional history.
Looking back
Hellan Sydän anticipated a direction that would later become central to my work: connecting physical places with digital stories and experiences.
Credits
Created by Samu Aarnio in collaboration with artist Teijo Karhu.
Original historical lighting programme developed with the North Karelian Historical Association.