New outdoor artworks will be mounted in front of Fuuga and on the rooftop terrace. Movement and light will play an essential role in these works. In Tommi Grönlund and Petteri Nisunen's artwork, wind adds an element of its own to the art reflecting the environment.
The artist duo Grönlund-Nisunen have been working on their art for the Music Hall in close collaboration with the architects who designed the building. Grönlund and Nisunen also have an architectural background themselves.
– After our discussions with the architect, we decided that the work would be placed on the yard deck above the entrance lobby. From there, it is also visible to the foyer, Grönlund and Nisunen explain.
Inspired by the flow of the Aura River
Petteri Nisunen and Tommi Grönlund see the world as a place full of wonders. Their works are based on natural phenomena and everyday observations. Mirrors rotated by wind bring a special random perspective into this.
The duo’s work is a kinetic installation, inspired by both the music flowing in the Music Hall and the flow of the adjacent River Aura.
– As always, this work is a kind of a test. We’ve made several works that employ the reflections of sunlight and the surrounding environment through mirrors. In this work, a new element is the wind that makes it rotate, says Tommi Grönlund.
Kinetic work placed outdoors
In the artist duo’s works, art is combined with mechanics and technology. The architectural background of the artists contributes to the way that their works always connect with the space around them. The themes of the artwork designed for the Music Hall are sounds, the movement of water, echoes, reflections and green art.
The work consists of a group of columns that the artists compare with vertical windmills, mirror-polished steel elements that rotate around their vertical axis.
– The work for the Music Hall is our first kinetic artwork to be placed outdoors. The reflections of the rotating work change with the movement, and the parts also reflect each other, Nisunen says.
Internationally known artist duo
Grönlund-Nisunen were selected to create the outdoor artworks for the Music Hall through a portfolio application process targeted at artists working in Finland. The application process was organised in spring 2023.
One of the selection criteria of the Music Hall art team was the idea that bringing together the outdoor green spaces with art that draws on technology could create a surprising and multisensory aesthetic entity around the building.
The art team was impressed by Grönlund-Nisunen’s previous work and their ability to integrate the environment of their public artworks into the artistic whole.
The artist duo Grönlund-Nisunen’s works can be found in the collections of the major Finnish art museums, cities and communities as well as in numerous foreign collections. They have been working together for over thirty years.
The artists organised their first exhibition in the Titanik gallery by the Aura River in 1993. In late spring 2025, their Häiriötiloja / Interferences exhibition was held at the Aboa Vetus Ars Nova Museum.
At the beginning of 2025, Grönlund-Nisunen also completed a new commissioned work called Sidos at the Wintteri education and well-being centre in Uusikaupunki.