© Image: Kuvasto Reef Oona Tikkaoja Arabian peruskoulu, Berliininkatu 4, 00560 Helsinki Indoor Sculpture Oona Tikkaoja’s (b. 1976, Seinäjoki) sculptural installation Reef spreads around Arabia Comprehensive School. Acrylic sheets and domes are installed in abstract clusters that bear a notional resemblance to various species of coral. The artist says: “Reef is a fitting symbol for the Arabia Comprehensive School, with its widely different user groups. The school building itself is like a reef, in that its purpose is to offer a safe and pleasant environment that favours diversity. Because of the location of the school, a theme involving the sea also seemed appropriate. I wanted Reef to appear very ‘human’, mechanical and structural, with nut and bolts. As builders, corals and humans have one thing in common: apart from buildings, the Great Barrier Reef is the only structure made by living creatures that is visible from outer space. My purpose was not to exploit the symbolism of the reef, however, but to remind viewers of the vulnerability of nature and the limits of our human biotechnical abilities.” Reef consists of six parts: Christmas Tree Coral, Cat’s Paw Coral, Tree Coral, Star Coral, Sea Anemone and Sea Fan. Tree Coral and Sea Anemone have been removed temporarily for repairs. The work was produced under the Percent for Art programme, and it belongs to the collection of the City of Helsinki, managed by HAM Helsinki Art Museum. At map