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Is it a pipe organ or a forest?

12/5/2011

10 Comments

 
Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ birthday is December 8th.
While in Helsinki, Dan and I visited The Sibelius Monument, dedicated to Jean Sibelius.
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Sibelius loved nature, and the Finnish landscape inspired his music.
He once said of his Sixth Symphony:
[It] always reminds me of the scent of the first snow.

On the subject of Sibelius's connection to nature, biographer Erik W. Tawaststjerna, wrote: 
Even by Nordic standards, Sibelius responded with exceptional intensity to the moods of nature and the changes in the seasons: he scanned the skies with his binoculars for the geese flying over the lake ice, listened to the screech of the cranes, and heard the cries of the curlew echo over the marshy grounds just below Ainola.
He savoured the spring blossoms every bit as much as he did autumnal scents and colours.
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It was wonderful to be able to walk under this monument, too, to view it from many angles!
The monument, located at Sibelius Park, was designed by Eila Hiltunen and unveiled on September 7, 1967.  
It consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. These 600 acid-proof stainless steel tubes of various diameters, welded together individually and hand-textured by Eila Hiltunen. Wearing a 1930s leather jacket and red overalls scattered with holes from welding sparks, she would sit on a tube for hours, with the welding torch in one hand and a water-hose for rapid cooling in the other.
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I loved how the pipes reflected the natural light and outdoor sounds.
The purpose of the artist was to capture the essence of the music of Sibelius. The monument weighs 30 tons and measures 10.5 meters (length) by 6.5 meters (depth) by 8.5 meters (height). Our tour guide told us that these tubes or pipes symbolize the trees of forests often said to have inspired his composition Tapiola. And after 35 years, this monument shows no signs of aging, stress or corrosion.
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Next to the monument is the face of Sibelius. This portrait added a figurative element, to appease the public who felt the monument was too abstract.
Have a great beginning to your week! 
Mary^
10 Comments
Ciara link
12/4/2011 10:25:44 pm

Lovely post Mary! I'm a big Sibelius fan and would love to travel to Helsinki some time, looks beautiful!

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orangiesattic link
12/4/2011 10:49:26 pm

WOW! That's very cool... I like the pic of you standing next to it, it gives a sense of how large it really is.

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Lauren link
12/4/2011 11:30:45 pm

Mary, this is beautiful! My dad was a welded steel sculptor for all of my growing up (abstract, often painted stuff), and I love seeing other artists. Thanks so much for the history behind the piece too.

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Lori link
12/4/2011 11:43:40 pm

So beautiful. I love his music but didn't know much about Sibelius. Thank you for the small/powerful view into the art and the composer! I love learning something new!!!

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Trina (Trina's Clay Creations) link
12/5/2011 12:10:08 am

This is so beautiful Mary, very cool!! Thank you for a peek at it, you always post the most interesting things!

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Cindy link
12/5/2011 12:18:40 am

This is really awesome! Would love to see it in person. Thanks so much for sharing~Cindy

Visiting from Blogging Buddies

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Keeping It Indie link
12/5/2011 12:49:29 am

That is fantastic - thanks for sharing!

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Naomi
12/5/2011 01:25:26 am

Cool.

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Erin / Miri-love link
12/5/2011 03:35:13 am

Wow, incredible pictures! That must have been so breathtaking to be there :) I love art like that, that transforms a space and immediately dominates the mood. Great post!

Erin from BloggingBuddies :)
http://labellaironia.blogspot.com/

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Kristin Van Valkenburgh link
12/5/2011 07:38:05 am

What stunning photos!!! That is gorgeous and I can see why you love them - really amazing.
Thank you too for your sweet comment last Friday (I'm sorry for the late response - I've been out of town ;) you really made my day by asking if I teach classes! No, I do not, but I would love to one day and will let you know if I do ;) xoxo

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    I love creating mixed-media art layered with maps, stencils, and hues of blue! This blog is a place for me to share my work and what inspires me. Read more here.
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