Turku Times 1/2020

1/2020

A MAGAZI NE FOR VISITORS

IN THIS ISSUE Team’s long journey into the promised land

Green green grass of UEFA European Championship Page 6

Strawberry fields and apple thieves Page 16

Birger Kaipiainen – the prince of ceramics Page 19

A column by Tommi Kinnunen

please leave this magazine for the next guest – thank you!

Hitched to hotels Page 22

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WILL KO MME N .

SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH

JOE MASTEROFF MUS IIKK I JOHN KANDER SA NO I T UKS ET FRED EBB OH JAUS JA KOR EOGR AF I A JAKOB HÖGLUND PERUST UU J OHN VA N DRU T E N I N NÄY T E LM Ä Ä N JA CH R I STOPH E R I SH E RWO O D I N TA R I NO I H I N . A L KU PE RÄ I N E N O H JAUS JA T U OTA N TO H A RO L D PR INC E.

OLLI RAHKONEN ANNA VICTORIA ERIKSSON MIIKO TOIVIAINEN MINNA HÄMÄLÄINEN RIITTA SALMINEN MIKA KUJALA

STEFAN KARLSSON

NÄY T ELMÄN ESI T YSOIK EUKSI A VALVOO NOR DIC DR AM A COR NER OY

ENSI-ILTA 4.9. LIPUT 23-61 € (SIS. PALVELUMAKSUN)

CONTENTS Welcome to Turku 4 Green green grass of UEFA European Championship 6 Turku timeline 8 Maps of Turku & Ruissalo Island 12 Hotels & hostels providing Turku Times 14 Strawberry fields and apple thieves 16 Birger Kaipiainen – the prince of ceramics 19 Hitched to hotels – A column by Tommi Kinnunen 22

Turku Times – A Magazine for Visitors Issue 1/2020 "Summer" www.turkutimes.fi ISSN 2342-2823 (print) ISSN 2669-8285 (online) Published by Mobile-Kustannus Oy Brahenkatu 14 D 94 FI-20100 Turku, Finland

Editor Anna Eloaho Publisher Teemu Jaakonkoski Sales Manager Raimo Kurki raimo.kurki@mobilekustannus.fi Tel. +358 45 656 7216

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Graphic Design & Layout Petteri Mero Mainostoimisto Knok Oy Printed by Newprint Oy

Cover photos River Aura. Photo: Seilo Ristimäki / Visit Turku Tournament at Turku Castle. Photo: Pette Rissanen / Visit Turku River Aura. Photo: Seilo Ristimäki / Visit Turku S/S Ukkopekka. Photo: Jemina Sormunen / Visit Turku Tommi Kinnunen. Photo: Suvi-Tuuli Kankaanpää

This magazine was made in the Covid-19 spring of 2020. We thank our advertisers for their courage in envisioning beyond the present and believing that together we will get through this difficult time. Good luck & stay safe!

Turku Times map application for mobile telephones and tablets: www.turkutimes.fi.

Turku Times is available in hotel and hostel rooms in the city of Turku (see page 14). Next Turku Times issue is out in November 2020.

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photo: Samu Valleala

Welcome to Turku

Turku wants to offer its best not only to its

for its part has raised the Turku region to be the engine of economic growth in Finland. The spearhead fields in Turku are marine technology, bio and circular economy, health and well-being, manufacturing and technology industry and creative fields.

citizens but also to tourists, whether it is a question of holiday, business, training or a congress.

City by the river and the sea

Turku is the oldest city in Finland. We are taking advantage of our history though we are looking to the future. In 2029 we will celebrate the 800th anniversary of Turku, and the city is already preparing for the jubilee year in numerous ways, of which I am here presenting two:

The River Aura is the heart of Turku. You get to know Turku easier by walking or cycling along the riverside. The route from the Turku Cathedral to Turku Castle is steeped in history and life. By the river there is beautiful scenery, museums and a magnificent main library as well as cosy and high-quality cafés and restaurants where to have a break.

Shops and department stores are close to one another in the city centre. As souvenirs I recommend design of Turku origin, such as high-quality textiles which are light to carry home. It is also worth visiting the traditional market hall where to taste local delicacies and specialties.

The sea and nature are inseparable part of Turku. On Ruissalo island off the city the mind rests all seasons. The island is famous for villas from the 19th century, oak forests, a beach, nature trails and Ruisrock Festival. You can easily get to the island by Föli’s citybike, bus and in the summertime also by Föli’s water-bus.

For culture lovers Turku offers lots of interesting events like concerts, theatre, fairs, art exhibitions and festivals all year round but in the summer season to come you can also enjoy unique outdoor events.

• The most visible project at the moment is the large-scale renovation of the market square in the city centre. After a couple of years we will have in our centre an attractive car-free market square with its splendid pedestrian, cycling and recreational facilities.

• The target of Turku is to be a carbon neutral city in its jubilee year and after that a climate positive city. We reach the target in cooperation with the citizens and the communities of the city.

So, I am also inviting you to participate in our joint effort to combat climate change, for example, by favouring delicious and clean local food.

Turku is a small large city. There are around 200,000 residents in Turku. However, there are six universities in the city and around 40,000 students and university teachers. This guarantees that we have wide-ranging know-how in the city. Our universities are international, and the only Swedish university in Finland, Åbo Akademi, is the gem of the city.

The cooperation between the universities, the city and the businesses aims to make Turku and the Turku region grow at the top of development in the Baltic Sea region. The long-term cooperation

I am a native of Turku and the city is everything to me. That is why I wish that Turku would touch every visitor beneath the surface and would make the visitor come again. s Minna Arve mayor of Turku 4

Photos: Timo Jakonen | Layout: Erkki Kiiski

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photo: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva

Teemu Pukki of Finland (10) celebrates with team mates his equalizing 1-1 goal during the men's football UEFA Euro 2020 European Championships qualifying match Finland vs Italy in Tampere in September 2019.

TEAM’S LONG JOURNEY INTO THE PROMISED LAND

Green green grass of

UEFA European Championship

T

Written by Matti Mäkelä Translated by Anna Eloaho

November 15th 2019 may have been a small day for

mankind, but it was a giant

leap for Finland. On that day the Finnish national football team ensured its place in

the UEFA Euro 2020 by

defeating Liechtenstein 3-0 in a home match. It was a miracle equalling to Lordi’s Eurovision Song Contest win in 2006 and Finland’s first Ice Hockey

World Championship in 1995.

he road to the promised land had been long and rocky for the ”Eagle Owls”, The Finnish Men’s Football Team. (It is important to remember that the cause for concern in Finnish sports has for decades been the men’s national football team, the women’s team has made it to the European games several times; in 2005 they even took the divided third place). Yet the very beginning of that road was promising for men as well. The national football team took part in the Olympics of 1912 in Stockholm and made it to the semi-finals by defeating such countries as Russia and Italy. At the time Finland was the Grand Duchy of Russia, so victory over the suppressing mother nation was especially sweet.

An indication of what was to come was seen in the 9-0 loss against Holland after a somewhat decent 0-4 result against England. In a bronze medal game the entire Finnish team was tired, and according to a legend, also suffering a hangover.

The next century was marked by more and more bitter, even humiliating defeats.

Finland could but envy and observe the success of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Even tiny Iceland has had its moments of glory in the eyes of the world. A sign of these desperate times can be seen in a 1977 Finnish Football yearbook, where Kai Haaskivi’s goal against Italy is touted. The fact that Italy scored six goals against Finland in that match was left to lesser attention.

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photo: Unknown / Official Olympic Report

Finnish national football team in the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games.

THE INCREDIBLE CHANGE WAS EXPLAINED BY THE

Finnish football team did take part in Helsinki Olympic Games of FUNCTIONAL PLAYSTYLE, THE IMPROVED SELF1952 as well as Moscow in 1980. Yet the value of these achievements ESTEEM AFTER THE WINS IN NATIONS LEAGUE is somewhat diminished by the fact that as the hosts we qualified automatically to the first event and the widespread boycott towards AND OF COURSE BY TEEMU PUKKI. the latter improved our odds remarkably. There was hardly any success, in Helsinki Finland dropped out during the first round and among others, the 2004 European Champion Greece. The incredible in Moscow during the group stages. change was explained by the functional playstyle, the improved It is a fact generally acknowledged that the genuine tournaments self-esteem after the wins in Nations League and of course by Teemu of substance are the European Championship and the World Cup, Pukki who was the fifth best striker of the whole qualifying round where the Finnish team’s chances have usually been that of a snowball with his 10 goals (out of Finland’s 16 goals). Pukki was also the best in hell, despite the bittersweet fact that a couple of times striker in England’s Championship League in the season we have been close to the dream becoming true.

2018–2019. Last January Pukki, who is now Premier In 1997 Finland was already on its way to the league player of Norwich, was elected the Finnish last round of World Cup qualifying games, but Athlete of the Year in 2019. an over-time own goal silenced the crowds Although the rise of the National Football at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki and team may seem like an incredible dream, sent Hungary forward. In 2007 against yet it is a logical step in the change of Portugal Finland was only one goal Finnish society and sports as a whole. short to ensure its place in European For a long time Finnish narrative had Championship tournament. One been an epic telling of the achievements precious goal that never came. of the lone and silent heroes. Then In the past sources of joy for the came the teams, collaboration and team Finnish football fans were mostly some players. First ice hockey, then basketball lone and successful individuals. For and volleyball, finally football. example, Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypiä What is going to happen to Finland in the were world-class players and their success in European Championship games? Many think European leagues shed light on Finnish football, that the biggest accomplishment is just to be there but even their input in the national team was and that our chances against Denmark and The Finnish players celebrate a goal in the UEFA Women’s Euro qualification match never enough.

Russia are extremely slim, let alone Belgium. against Albania in Vaasa in October 2019.

In the previous World Cup qualifying Maybe so, but the history of football is full of photo: Timo Aalto / Lehtikuva games Finland qualified fifth in its group, next miracle stories about victorious underdogs to last, and got a mere nine points in ten games. The miserable outcome with no prior pressure or expectations whatsoever. A prime example caused Finland to drop below all other Nordic countries and even is Iceland in the previous European Championship games. Iceland Faroe Islands in FIFA ranking (in 2017 Faroe Islands had a population made it’s way to the quarterfinals and unhorsed the mighty England of 49 920, which means that during a major influenza epidemic they with 2-1 (match which was played four days after the Brexit vote, would have problems to even assemble a team). After that disaster which perhaps explains the English team’s total confusion). Being only the most devoted optimists had faith in Finland’s chances in the runner up suits Finland. Let’s not forget the Winter War or our the European Championships, despite the fact that qualifying in 2019 winning Ice Hockey World Championships team, a team that European Championships is much easier than in World Cup. was considered to be the worst in history by many sports writers Then everything changed. Markku Kanerva became the head before the games. s coach and Finland started winning. The success in the Nations League (winner in their group) was followed by UEFA Euro qualifying games, UEFA has postponed the European Championship until 2021. where Finland was second in their group after Italy. Left behind was, 7

photos: City of Turku

Turku timeline Written by Anna Eloaho

10 000 BCE

1562

1918

The ice age ends relatively late in Finland, around 12,000 years ago.

New inventions, trends and fashions reach Turku swiftly. Among them the habit of using both fork and knife. The first fork in Finland belongs to Catharina Jagiellon, the Polish princess who married Swedish prince John.

Along with her fork she is said to have brought the Renaissance era to Turku Castle.

In 1918 the Swedish University of Turku, Åbo Akademi is established. It is the third university of Finland and the first one outside Helsinki.

3200 BCE Findings from the Stone Age show that there are hunters and gatherers in the Turku region already in ca. 3200 BCE, right after the land had risen from under the sea.

700 CE The cultural landscape of Finland Proper starts to develop during Iron Age, when people live by farming and rising cattle. The rivers are an important mean for transportation and trade. The roads start to form.

1229 In his letter to the Bishop of Lindköping, Pope Gregorius IX orders the Bishop’s seat in Nousiainen to be moved to a more appropriate place, ad locum competenciorem.

End of 1220’s The representatives of the Crown, the Catholic Church and the Dominican Order decide to establish a city on the east side of the river Aura to have a more appropriate place for episcobus Aboensis, the first Bishop of Turku.

1300 The Turku Cathedral is inaugurated in June in1300. Also the building of the Turku Castle had started by the end of the 13th century.

1500 By the late Middle Ages, Turku has developed into a bustling town and an important actor in international trade, as it has good connections to motherland Sweden, the Baltic and the major Hanseatic cities as well as Novgorod.

1500 By the end of the Middle Ages there are approximately 1500 inhabitants in Turku.

The population of all of Finland at that time is ca. 100,000.

1640

1920 In 1920 the Finnish speaking University of Turku is established with funds collected in a public fund-raising with over 22,000 contributors.

The royal command of Queen Christina of Sweden establishes a university in Turku in 1640. The Royal Academy of Turku is the third university in all Sweden-Finland, the first two being Uppsala (1477) and Tartu (1632).

1939–1944

1732

1965

Industrialism reaches Turku. The first factories manufacture tobacco. The long line of building ships in Turku starts when the Åbo Gamla Skeppswarf is founded in 1732.

Turku decides to end the tram traffic by year 1972. The tracks, covering the central parts of the city are gradually dismantled. The later generations have considered this an ill decision and tram may well return to Turku in the future.

1800 By the beginning of the 19th century there are 10 000 people living in Turku, the population of Finland being ca. 1 million.

1812 Turku enjoys her position as the number one city of the country until 1812, when Helsinki is made the new capital and the administrative center of the Grand Duchy of Finland, at that time part of Russia.

Turku suffers great damages in the World War II. Even the Turku Castle is bombed.

1970’s A more visible trend of decision-making in the 1960’s and 1970’s is to demolish old buildings and replace them with modern blockhouses.

The demolishing epidemic is known as the Turku disease. The current tendency is to preserve buildings from 19th century and the beginning of 20th.

2011

1827 A major blow to the academic position of Turku is given by the Grand Duke, the Russian Emperor Alexander I, who transfers the Academy to the new capital after the Great Fire of Turku in 1827.

1880 Turku is the first city in Finland to have a horse-drawn tramline.

1917 Finland declares its independent on December the 6th in 1917.

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Turku, along with Tallinn in Estonia is the European Cultural Capital in 2011.

2020 In 2020 Turku is the sixth largest city of Finland with its 193,000 inhabitants. The Turku sub-region is the third largest urban area in Finland. There are two universities and four universities of applied sciences in Turku, with the total number of nearly 40,000 degree and post-graduate students and teachers. s

3

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Strawberry Fields Written by Kari Tuomi

What do Finns eat during high summer and early autumn? Besides the usual,

new potatoes, cauliflower, French beans,

broccoli, salads and smoked fish, there are

T

he strawberries are available everywhere from Midsummer to late July. The season is not very long and it ends as suddenly as it began. Finnish Strawberries are sweeter and smaller than the varieties you might know, so it’s really worth tasting them. Unless you are reading this in August, when they have gone.

Or become too expensive to buy.

New potatoes and their popularity in Finland is somewhat of a puzzle. The French would hardly describe them as the ”delicacy worthy of best asparagus”, but that’s exactly what they say of new potatoes in Finland. The traditional diet of millions of Finns from 1960’s through 1980’s was potatoes with a simple meat sauce. I belong to a generation extremely bored of the tuber during rest of the year, but the appearance of those small beautiful potatoes at Midsummer is still a miracle. It’s all about how long you cook them and what you eat them with. Start with a dab of fresh butter and lots of fragrant local dill in the cooking water.

Plain ordinary fresh peas are a popular vegetable, which is eaten in an unordinary way. Finns enjoy them uncooked, straight from the pod. We are one of the few nations in the world that enjoy sweet peas without cooking. Remember to pay attention to the technique! You can do everything with your lips, teeth, thumbs, using one hand or two hands. Advanced pea-eaters can casually eat hundreds of peas in a minute, without even looking at the vegetable. An art in itself.

many hugely popular local sweet delicacies.

Colourful berries are always a favourite,

especially the different varieties of open

field strawberries and small blue bilberries from the forests. They are sweet yet healthy and highly tongue staining.

ADVANCED

PEA-EATERS

CAN CASUALLY EAT

HUNDREDS OF PEAS IN A MINUTE, WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT

All photos: Envato

THE VEGETABLE.

16

and Apple Thieves Wild mushrooms slowly start to come out during summer months goodies, including berries, rot in the forests every year. A fact our (after a brief appearance of False morels in the late spring) and the media is keen to remind us about every autumn: we have become lazy. season peaks during autumn. Just like grapes, we are at the mercy of weather, dry weather being less than ideal, rain The first delicious heirloom apples appear a bit better. Finns talk about good bilberry years, during early autumn. You cannot find any in FINNS TALK ABOUT good lingonberry years and good mushrooms your local supermarket and the best ones are GOOD BILBERRY YEARS, vintages just like any serious wine producer. never sold at the market place either. You need One thing tourists are always amazed at is the to go to your own garden or “borrow” some from GOOD LINGONBERRY act of mushrooming itself. There’s nothing to it. your neighbours overhanging branches. The YEARS AND GOOD You can just step into any forest and pick some. varieties have been around for centuries and MUSHROOMS VINTAGES No training required, no licences or permits from some of the most succulent ones are only found JUST LIKE ANY SERIOUS the landowner. You need a basic knowledge of here in Finland. On a really warm summer, the WINE PRODUCER. the poisonous mushrooms (most people use a abundance of juicy apples can be amazing. reverse tactic and know the three tastiest types) The taste of these local fruit can be so unique and an hour or two. On a good mushroom year, and deeply tied to your childhood memories, that it’s amazing what you can find in half an hour. Bucketloads of funnel finding a substitute abroad is practically impossible. Of all the foods chanterelles or ceps. Believe me, there can be such a thing as too many a Finn might miss abroad: rye bread, salty liquorice or pea soup, mushrooms to pick. Hundreds millions of euro’s worth of nature’s apples can be the most difficult ones to substitute. s

17

10

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Birger Kaipiainen - the prince of ceramics Written by Mia Haltia, Curator at Turku Art Museum

This fall Turku Art Museum treats the

Birger Kaipiainen (1915–1988) was born in Pori, but the family moved to Helsinki just a year after his birth.

The mother’s support was important for the artistically talented boy, and summer holidays spent with the family in Sortavala on Lake Ladoga had a great impact on his craft.

Young Birger was fascinated by the lushness of summer, the visual exuberance of Russian Orthodox culture in Karelia and the Valamo monastery. As a result, natural motifs, exuberance and decorativeness later found their way into his ceramic art.

public to the fabulous work of designer

and ceramicist Birger Kaipiainen. One of the most prestigious and internationally

successful ceramic artists in Finland,

Kaipiainen is best known for his stylised

nature motifs and romanticism. But how

did the designer of the beloved Paratiisi

dishes and Kiurujen yö wallpaper become

the prince of ceramic art and a popular

Curlews and violets are motifs Kaipiainen is best known for and which also made him famous. Pearl Curlew from the 1960's, ceramics and steel. Collection Kakkonen.

favourite among collectors?

19

IN THE MODERNIST PERIOD,

WHICH PUT AN EMPHASIS ON

PRACTICALITY AND ASCETICISM, KAIPIAINEN TOOK A PATH OF HIS OWN.

The clock often appers in Kaipiainen’s imagery, always stopped at a quarter past twelve. As a bohemian, Kaipiainen was in the habit of showing up at work after noon. Wall plate from the 1980’s. Collection Kakkonen. photo: Rauno Träskelin

Kaipiainen graduated as a ceramic and decorative artist from the Central School for Applied Arts in 1937, and the same year he was hired by the art department at the Arabia factory. A haven of fine art within the industrial art factory, the art department played a key role in the international triumph of Finnish applied art in the 1950s and 1960s. Kaipiainen was awarded an honorary award at the Milan Triennale (Diplôme d’Honneur) in 1951, the Grand prix in 1960, and the Grand Prix at the Montreal Expo in 1967.

From the very start of his career, Kaipiainen distinguished himself from other ceramic artists with his highly personal style. He saw himself primarily as a visual artist, even while working under the roof of an industrial enterprise. In the modernist period, which put an emphasis on practicality and asceticism, Kaipiainen took a path of his own, and his imagery came to be characterised by sensuality, romanticism and fairy tale wonder.

Birger Kaipiainen in his studio c 1945.

Useless, comforting beauty In his early career, Kaipiainen designed decorative dishes and plates painted with bright colours, and the escapism and romantic nostalgia of the motifs resonated with art audiences in the war-ravaged nation (Finland was in war with Russia 1939–1944). Music, opera and ballet were important for Kaipiainen, and their influence could also be detected in his own work. The history of art, early Italian Renaissance in particular, was an important source of inspiration for him.

The graceful, garlanded female figures in his work remind one of Botticelli’s Spring (1478) as well as of ancient Greek mythology. The idea to use nature’s springtime exuberance as a theme was spurred by the post-war yearning for beauty, yet it also contained a more symbolic aspect: the anticipation of spring reflected the spirit of the day – let life vanquish all wilting and death.

Painting was the perfect medium for Kaipiainen, who on account of polio was unable to work at the potter’s wheel. Although the dishes and plates changed in appearance over the decades, they were Kaipiainen’s principal medium early on. Kaipiainen used the classic technique of sgraffito, popular during the Renaissance, in which a painted surface is scratched or drawn upon, thus revealing an underlying layer of colour or the substrate. In spite of employing elements reminiscent of Italy, Kaipiainen did not get to visit the country until 1949.

photo: Design Museum, Helsinki

Stylistic renewal The 1950s witnessed a profound stylistic renewal in Kaipiainen’s art. The war was followed by a new period of greater freedom and increasing internationalisation, and that was also reflected in applied arts. The romantic style Kaipiainen had cultivated in the 1940s had become quite popular in Nordic applied art, and had reached the end of its road.

In 1958 Kaipiainen married Maggi Halonen, an economist employed in the fashion business. His first solo exhibition at the Arabia gallery on the Esplanade in Helsinki in 1952 was a resounding success. Human figures continued to occupy centre stage, but his 20

photo: Rauno Träskelin

Kaipiainen distinguished himself from other ceramic artists with his highly personal style. He saw himself primarily as a visual artist, even while working under the roof of an industrial enterprise. Works by Birger Kaipiainen.

Collection Kakkonen.

style became frontal, more graphic and three-dimensional. The colours, too, became darker and more intense. Critics, however, were at a loss with where to place Kaipiainen in the triumphal story of Finnish applied art, which was being used to bolster national identity at the time. They considered Kaipiainen too luxurious and un-Finnish in the straitened circumstances of the post-war reconstruction period, which raised up everyday life and the home as key values.

No wonder that Kaipiainen began looking abroad instead.

We may assume that working at the Rörstrand factory in Sweden 1954–1958 was rewarding for him, for there he was a respected artist who was given free rein. Sweden provided just the right kind of soil for Kaipiainen’s works, where they were seen as an exotic breath of fresh air and idiosyncratic, in a positive sense, to the extent that critics warned copycats: don’t bother.

mundane explanation: as a bohemian, Kaipiainen was in the habit of showing up at work after noon.

The final act Objects designed by Kaj Franck, Timo Sarpaneva and Tapio Wirkkala found a place in the kitchens, on the dining tables and in the living rooms of Finns. By contrast, Birger Kaipiainen’s works reached beyond the everyday, towards a never-ending party and the constant clinking of champagne glasses. Works by Kaipiainen were given as official state presents to the Shah of Persia and to India, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark. The artist had found favour among the power elites of the nation and became a member of the narrow celebrity society in Finland.

Magnificent parties hosted in the Bökars Manor by Kaipiainen’s good friend and Marimekko founder Armi Ratia were legendary.

Kaipiainen was a welcome and frequent guest there, among many other celebrities of the day. He was in fact so much at home at the manor that he had his own room with red décor, called the Red Room (Röda rummet) and nicknamed Bordelli, the Brothel. In the 1980s, a stage-like hall made its appearance on Kaipiainen’s plates, which with its chandeliers and rustic furniture was an unmistakeable echo of Bökars.

Work was Kaipiainen’s passion, and he continued to work almost daily, even in retirement. He died in 1988 at the age of 73 after an ordinary day of work. His colleague Oiva Toikka once recalled Kaipiainen, saying, “Aristocratic Birger Kaipiainen was the prince of ceramics. He is inimitable; he cannot be compared to anyone.” s

A period of blossoming Kaipiainen’s art literally blossomed in the 1960s, his works overwhelmed by flowers, fruit and berries. Butterflies, dragonflies and birds were also recurring motifs. This period also marked the return of decorated plates and dishes, although Kaipiainen designed monumental works as well, including the award-winning “Sea of Violets” (Orvokkimeri) exhibited at the Montreal Expo in 1967. The ceramic beads Kaipiainen had included in his repertoire back in the 1950s now reappeared for good, serving as an integral part of his rebellion against the demands of form and functionality. Another new genre was multisensory work, which invited the viewer not only to look but also to touch, taste and smell. Kaipiainen’s flower-trees are in fact not trees at all but overflowing confectionary constellations.

Curlews and violets are motifs Kaipiainen is best known for and which also made him famous. Next to the clock frozen in time, these motifs have invited the most interpretations based on his persona.

The blue violet is a common symbol of faithfulness and permanence and is a popular motif in expressions of love. Kaipiainen once said, “Chopin loved violets, and I love Chopin.” The clock had appeared in Kaipiainen’s imagery during his time in Sweden, always stopped at a quarter past twelve. Flowers, fruit and clocks can all be interpreted as vanitas motifs, symbols of the inevitable passage of time and of the impermanence of all things. Yet, the clocks also have a more

BIRGER KAIPIAINEN AT TURKU ART MUSEUM 18 SEP 2020 – 17 JAN 2021 Most of the works in this extensive exhibition belong to the art collection of commercial counsellor Kyösti Kakkonen.

Open Tue–Fri 11–7 pm, Sat–Sun 11–5 pm.

Due the COVID-19 epidemic changes may occur, please check the latest information on turuntaidemuseo.fi/en SEE GREEN NUMBER 11 ON MAP (PAGE 13).

21

COLUMN

Hitched to hotels

S

pending nights in hotels was not something I got used to as a child. My parents worked as photographers in a small district in northern Finland and to accommodate a family of seven in a hotel would have cost far too much.

Hence, on the rare vacations were got used to spending nights on makeshift beds on the floors of friends and relatives. And what I had learned as a child, I carried on as a student. On occasional trips to other towns, I would crash on the spare mattresses of my local friends. We would laugh, talk and make the world a better place until four in the morning and then empty the refrigerator for breakfast.

Therefore I was truly seduced by hotels only as an adult. They whisked me away from a day-to-day life, into a totally different word where daily routines, such as cleaning, making breakfast and changing the linen would be done for me by someone else, all I had to do was to enter. At home I would fantasize how my messy one-room flat would one day become clear and contemplated as a hotel room.

A little luxury to balance a lot of every day life. That was the kind of hotel relation I yearned for. To be able to take a weekend away, see a play in a strange city after a working week. To be able to stay in an elegantly decorated room and to enjoy the difficulty of multiple choice at the sumptuous breakfast buffet. We all recognize the tingling joy of entering a new room for the first time. One is compelled to draw the curtains and check the view, open the door and inspect the bathroom.

It’s almost annoying to open the suitcase and start unpacking the mundanities of one’s normal life into that beautiful utopia.

Then our relationship changed. My work as a novelist started to take me to hotels more often that I thought was even necessary. Our relationship turned habitual. There always seemed to be the same rainy street-view behind the curtains and the same indifferent beds and tables in the room. The only cause for a slight excitement was whether there would be a tub or a shower in the bathroom.

Suddenly we were no longer lovebirds but in a steady relationship.

When previously I had wanted a hotel to be the unordinary non-home, nowadays when a hotel room functions as my home base during the author visits, I quite unexpectedly yearn for likeness of home from

Written by Tommi Kinnunen Translated by Anna Eloaho

it. Instead of a hotel in the luring pulse of the city centre, I prefer a quiet location. I, too, keep to my room, having no interest to go nightclubbing. Instead of the abundant breakfast buffet a middle-aged man appreciates the light vegetarian choices. And rather than room service he prefers the possiblity to iron his outfit before making a public appearance.

What will the next step be? Are we to become an old married couple, knowing each other’s needs without words. There will be a thin pillow and a thick duvet for my aching bones waiting for me on my arrival and I will know my way around the building and into the breakfast room without instructions. Perhaps later on we will grunt on my grow-up daughter’s relation to hotels: her stories about the exciting weekend trips, spectacular lounges and beautiful decorations. Who knows.

At the moment, however, she is just six years old and has very little experience in hotels. And although the 800-kilometre drive to see grandmother requires us to stop overnight, we have a habit of spending the night in the guestrooms of the relatives. s Photo: Suvi-Tuuli Kankaanpää

photo: Envato

TURKU TI MES

22

Tommi Kinnunen (b.1973) is an author and a school teacher of Finnish literature.

He was born in Kuusamo, north-east Finland and currently lives in Turku. His debut novel, Where Four Roads Meet (Neljän tien risteys, 2014) was shortlisted for the Finlandia Prize for Fiction and awarded with several literature awards.

Where Four Roads Meet has been adapted to theatre as well. Kinnunen’s second novel, the Light Behind the Eyes (Lopotti, 2016) was also shortlisted for Finlandia Prize. His third, The Glass River (Pintti, 2018) was awarded with the Bothnia Literary Prize. Kinnunen’s works have been translated into 20 languages. His fourth novel will be published in autumn 2020.

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Löydä lähin Ärrä ka talta.

Find the nearest

from the map.

13

Open every day!

Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Shopping Centre Mylly, Myllynkatu 1 FI-21280 Raisio | kauppakeskusmylly.fi

BUS LINES

220, 221 and 300 STOP AT MYLLY ONLY 15 MIN FROM THE HEART OF TURKU!