Public art displays are often placed in major metropolitan centres where they are guaranteed visibility by the largest possible audience, thereby increasing overall awareness of the arts, and also as a pseudo-justification for the expense. In Canada, few civic leaders would ever approve the outlandish cost for a piece of art, if it meant that only a miniority of citizens could ever lay eyes on it. With this basic reasoning in mind, I was amazed when I came across the Halikonlahti Green Art collection, which supports remote exhibits around the Bay of Halikko, Finland. Launched in 2006 with a trio of exhibitions exploring art and ecology in the Baltic Sea Region, the collection has since grown to include additional works that celebrate the environment.
One such piece that really stands out is “The Mill“, which was created by Finnish architect and artist Sami Rintala, and architecture student Janne Saario. Located on the Halikko river in the south western province of Finland, The Mill serves as a modern wilderness shelter, which includes fireplaces and sleeping platforms for canoeists. The middle section houses a waterwheel, which harnesses the raw power of the stream to produce renewable energy for use in the shelter. From a distance, Rintala and Saario’s work appears to be an unfinished covered bridge, but the outdoor enthusiast will certainly see its’ value during cold downpours. As this artistic shelter could also play a critical role in life saving scenarios, I’d say it’s well worth the cost, regardless of how many people ever lay eyes on it.
