The King’s Road
The main idea for the art work in the Karakallio church hall is to combine the visual richness of the medieval Finnish stone churches with contemporary ideas and techniques. The symbols used in many of Andersson’s earlier works; The heart, the stars, the tree leaf and food could now find resonance in the church themes developed by Pitkäranta. Pitkäranta’s office was responsible for the renovation of the church building, a typical boring 1970:ties building. The art work was commissioned in connection with the renovation and it made it possible to include parts of the art work in the architectonic structures.
Andersson and Pitkäranta discussed the themes together and decided to make the work in four parts. The visual part of the art work was designed by Andersson:
1.The Altar piece. The main part is a big heart, bleeding a drop of wine/blood. On the heart plaster casts of real breads are fastened. In the middle of the heart is a crucifix made of small tree sticks. The background surface, reminding of oriental ornaments, is made of digitally manipulated pictures from the Finnish nature. The pictures were transformed onto aluminium foil, which partly reflects light.
2. The Floor intarsia. The figure is computer cut in ceramic tiles and inlaid in the parquet floor. It is based on Christ’s life span. The trumpet symbolizes the annunciation, the stars the birth, the dove made of water drops, the baptism in Jordan and finally the palm leaves and the marks of a donkey’s hoofs, the arrival of Christ in Jerusalem.
3. The Altar floor. The circular shape is filled with an ornament, computer cut in ceramic tiles and inlaid in the parquet floor, picturing water drops, tree leaves and sun rays, which accompanies the rain cloud shaped altar.
4. The window from the room next to the main church hall was given the shape of a chalice, which has a connection both to the art work by the altar and to the artwork on the window’s doors inside the room. The work is a new version of Leonardo’s Last Supper. It is a large “painting” made with Illustrator and printed on a laminate. If the doors are closed part of the work can be seen through the window from the church hall.
A total work of art in Karakappeli Chapel, Espoo, 2001.
The Last Supper
