Photo credits © Odile Decq
« A simple image, if it is new, opens a world. Seen from the thousand of windows of the imaginary, the world is changing. » Gaston Bachelard
Designing an iconic museum in a country where silence and simplicity are intrinsically part of the nature and of the culture is a kind of contradiction.
We have privileged the simplicity of the evidence combined with the finish notion of « sisu ».
The project is simple, a dense reflecting black box with a wooden sensuous heart through which visitors are driven in an experience of sensations.
Opened to the city and to the harbor the museum provides the passage in between and becomes an urban place. It is a civic and public place for exchanges, dialogue and engagement, a gathering place for city residents, visitors and artists.
The entrance, the atrium, the passerelles, the roof deck, every place is conceived to bring the visitor in a travel on a long course, in a constant discovery, on a vertical platform to connect public with artists. The undulating wooden walls create many views and different ways to experiment the building and exhibitions.
The museum, though modest in shape and size, is challenging as a landmark for contemporary art and design combining all the functions needed in a densely articulated ensemble that underscore the ethical and ecological values of Finland.