Engineering Materials art collection

The art theme Engineering Materials honours and respects the Otaniemi areas long history with educating engineers. Aalto Works block connects different fields, disciplines and beyond, for example mechanical engineers with fresh startups.The Engineering Materials collection of artworks aims to create both critical questions but also inspiring aesthetics in the environment of work and study.

Art works are there to challenge our minds and to enhance environment where the sense of community is highly valued. The art theme builds expectation for engineering the future.

The project, which combines the renovation and additional construction of the block located in Otaniemi, will be completed by 2025. After completion, the block will be home for the departments of the School of Engineering, Department Machine Hall of the School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto Design Factory, Startup Sauna and Aalto Ventures Program.

With their work, the artists wanted to highlight love as a part of human life as a guideline. The work, which mainly runs on solar energy, has, among other things, glass bottles from the chemistry class of the artists' old high school.

There is also a button under the work. You can press it to start the kinetic movement of the work.

A tribute to engineering

The collection was compiled through direct purchases and two art competitions organised by Aalto University. Helena Sederholm, professor at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, and Outi Turpeinen, manager of art and exhibitions at the university, curated the works of artists in the K1 building, presenting a wide range of materials and used techniques. Engineering Materials art collection contains works from eight artists.

The K1 building has works of art by direct order from five artists who are inspired by the research of the School of Engineering:

• Antti Laitisen's material is everyday willow, which he has transformed into Willow view, a 2-dimensional sculpture.
• Anssi Kasitonni amuses you with his photos, where an icebreaker transforms into a fish-eating robot. Watch the video on Polaris below.
• Kaisaleena Halinen's entity, Layers of Memory is composed of fire extinguisher sculptures made of different materials are located in the old fire extinguisher holes in the staircase.
• Anna Rikkinen's jewel-like entity of works, Breaking and making ice - Love affair, create a love story about the study of ice.
• The movement in Kristiina Uusitalo's paintings is created by elements rising into the air, which change with the light. Paintings: With all one's might (2023); Though none of this belongs to me, I belong to all of it (2018); Afterglow III (2020).

More information
Outi Turpeinen, Manager, art and exhibitions
[email protected], tel. +358 50 431 4194  

The vision of public art at Aalto University

In 2017, Aalto University decided to comply with a one per cent art principle in its building projects. The one per cent art principle was first applied to the Radical Nature art concept in Aalto University’s main building, Dipoli.    

The vision of public art at Aalto University is to address and raise questions about what it is to be a university, what we do together in society, and what constitutes the public. Public art is site-specific and connects with the diversity of the university and its post-disciplinary communities. Public artworks reflect this diversity through different art forms, materials, techniques and traditions.