Windsock

Markku Salo’s (b. 1954, Nokia) Windsock is made of steel and glass. The 192 glass elements mounted on a tubular metal frame are made with a variety of techniques, including blowing, casting and filigree. The surface of the elements is treated with sandblasting and partially by painting. The metal frame consists of steel bars and steel mesh, with a dark patina produced with acid. Due to the variety of techniques and the treatment of the mesh, the surface the piece appears alive; one notices the pattern of the mesh when shifting vantage points. The ten-metre-long piece is suspended from the glass roof of the narrow and tall entrance hall of the Malmitalo Cultural Centre. The horizontality of the work echoes the architecture of the building and the longitudinal aspect the corridor.

For the artist, the culturally diverse Malmi district and its airport symbolises mobility; he thus chose a windsock as a metaphor for the area. Windsock is a conical textile tube designed to indicate wind and speed direction.

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.