Outi Pieski: ČSV áigi, 2025. Keski-Pasila primary school and daycare. Photo: HAM/Maija Toivanen. ČSV áigi Artist Outi Pieski Tulistimenkatu 2, Helsinki The artist Outi Pieski’s series of works, ČSV áigi (ČSV áika), brings Sámi culture to Keski-Pasila. A ČSV clock glimmers on the facade of Pasila School and Day Care that offers Sámi language instruction. Inside the building, light radiates from a Sámi cradle ball in the large entrance hall. Time is present in both pieces. The artwork is based on the letter sequence ČSV. “Emerging in the 1970s at the crest of the Sámi cultural and political movement, the letter sequence carries various meanings that are site-specific and change over time, the most common being Čájet Sámi Vuoiŋŋa, ‘Show Sámi spirit’. These three letters are also the three most commonly used letters in the Sámi languages. ČSV has begun to gain wider recognition in contexts related to indigenous people’s rights and nature conservation, and the letter sequence can also refer to a person or group that supports the Sámi”, says Outi Pieski. The ČSV clock on the school’s facade has hour markers typical to Sámi culture. Some of these gilded, unruly markers – laukkaset – have escaped the strict order of time and begin to gravitate towards their own time, a Sámi time. The cradle ball (komsio ball) suspended from the entrance hall’s ceiling glows after sunset. For the Sámi, a cradle ball has traditionally served as a protector of the child and is hung above the cradle (komsio in Sámi). At the school, the cradle ball protects the pupils and day care children. Outi Pieski (b. 1973) is a Sámi artist living and working in Utsjoki. Her works explore themes of Sámi decolonisation, indigenous people’s rights, and their relationship with nature. She often uses Sámi duodji (handicraft) techniques, and her works may take the form of paintings, installations, sculptures, or photographs. Pieski’s works are included in major art collections. In 2024, she had a major solo exhibition at Tate St. Ives in the UK. The artwork for Keski-Pasila school is Pieski’s first permanent public artwork in Helsinki. The work belongs to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed and curated by HAM. At map
