On its 35th anniversary, the Y-Foundation commissioned us to create a public artwork involving its residents. The foundation is Finland’s largest nationwide non-profit landlord and an internationally recognised expert on ending homelessness.
Ode to Y consists of five mosaic-covered tables and an interactive mobile app. Together, the tables contain approximately 17,400 mosaic tiles, which is the same number as the Y-Foundation’s rental apartments in 2020, when we began developing the project.
Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen and I set up a mobile studio in the participating housing communities and invited residents to contribute content to the mosaic tiles. Through the mobile app, visitors can explore artworks, sounds, memories and stories connected to the different tables.
The tables are located in the courtyards of Taipaletalo (Porvoo), Rukkilan asumisyhteisö (Helsinki), Lyyrapyrstö 2 (Tampere) and Puunhaltijankuja (Vantaa).
The project was funded by the Y-Foundation. It was a co-production of the Y-Foundation and Firma Oy / Studio Kalleinen, and was made possible by AVEK’s Mediarata support for Firma Oy.