Sakari Vapaavuori: Sculpture at the Floora day-care centre, 1950. © Photo: HAM Helsinki Art Museum Floora-päiväkodin veistos / Sculpture at the Floora day-care centre Artist Sakari Vapaavuori Syyriankatu 3, Toukola, Helsinki Sakari Vapaavuori is a designer and ceramist known for his abstract sculptures and reliefs. He made a remarkable career in industrial arts and worked at Arabia in 1947-1974. Porcelain and chamotte were his favourites but he also developed new materials and techniques suitable for outdoor use.. The sculpture at Floora (1948) was completed in the early 1950s and placed in the yard of the day-care centre of the Arabia factories. The piece, made of chamotte comprises several almost identical parts in winding upward movement. Although this untitled piece has been offered several interpretations, the most popular is probably the mother and child theme. On the other hand, it is told that when assembling the piece with his assistant Jalkanen the artist enlightened the prying audience by saying that the piece is titled Jalkanen Standing on His Hands. The most likely interpretation is, however, that the piece is a representative of abstract and untitled sculpture open to a variety of interpretations. The work doesn’t belong to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed by HAM. Read more.. At map
