Hannu Siren: Shadows, 1998. © Photo: HAM Helsinki Art Museum / Hanna Kukorelli Shadows Artist Hannu Sirén Hämeentie 161, Helsinki Hannu Sirén’s (b. 1953, Helsinki) Shadows is a monumental steel work that divides the yard of the building and guides the visitor to the main entrance. The building is a former broadcloth factory designed by Theodor Höijer in the 1890s. The annex and the wing were designed by Kai Wartiainen. The artist observed the slope of the yard and sought to offset the impression and introduce a new tension to the space. With a length of 30 metres and height ranging from 2 to 7 metres, the sculpture organises and alters the dynamics of the yard. The sculpture was welded on site. Its extremely simple form underscores the nature of its material. The work gets its colour from natural oxidisation, or rusting, which points to the passage of time and to times past. The material is a record of changes that happen in time. The work was produced under the Percent for Art programme, and it belongs to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed and curated by HAM. Read more.. At map
