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Kuvasto

The Birth of Stars

Irmeli Hulkko

Päiväkoti Rööperi, Punavuorenkatu 8, 00120 Helsinki

Indoor Sculpture

These murals in the staircases of Rööperi Daycare Centre were created by Irmeli Hulkko (b.1963 Pelkosenniemi). Entitled The Birth of Stars, the five-part work consists of murals featuring the constellations of Leo, Orion, Ophiuchus holding the serpent (Serpens), and Cygnus, as well as the mural Big Bang comprising the constellations of Cetus, Virgo, Sagittarius, Ursa Minor, Taurus and Auriga.

According to the artist, the idea was inspired by the pentagonal windows in the staircases that remind one of the angular, crystalline structure of constellations. “It started with a playful take on astronomy and cosmology. The constellations seem to be coming from a single faraway point towards the viewer. Yet seen close up, they become an abstract play of lines, spheres and polygons. The individual constellations are recognisable and echo real ones in the sky. The only exception is Sagittarius, which can be viewed only partially in Finland.”

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.

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