Did you know that many TYS housing sites feature not only student apartments, laundries, and playgrounds, but also art?
Since 2001, TYS has aimed to follow the “percent principle” in art acquisitions for new construction and major renovation projects. According to this principle, a certain percentage of construction costs is allocated to purchasing art or artistic design.
Artworks enhance the comfort of living, bring sensory experiences for TYS tenants, stimulate thought and conversation, and foster a sense of community. The art at housing locations also reflects diverse perspectives on the history of Turku. Outdoor art is accessible to everyone, not just TYS tenants, but all residents of Turku.
Over the years, eight works of art have been installed. Are you familiar with them all?
Nummenranta
Heijastuspinta is a light installation forming stripes on a storage building wall, changing with the time of day and illuminating as surrounding light fades.
Selected in a 2005 competition organized with the Southwest Finland Arts Committee, the piece consists of eight lamps mounted on a paneled wall.
Artist Eero Merimaa says the idea came from the wall’s strong vertical structure: highlighting color bars adds warmth and playfulness. The light bars also evoke the nearby Aura River and city lights reflected on its surface.
Tavasti
The piece Lempi ja Toivo matkalla Onnelaan (was inspired by Tavasti´s location along the historic Hämeen Härkätie road. Processions of cows and oxen circle the building’s exterior walls, moving in opposite directions and meeting at a large light sphere.
As the sun moves, the figures cast lively shadows, and thanks to lighting, the piece is visible at night. The procession symbolizes human journeys, and the light sphere represents home or a transcendental other side. It creates a sense of warmth and belonging for students returning home.
The work was commissioned from Turku Arts Academy and executed in 2002 by the winning team of an idea competition: Heini Aho, Tanja Koistila, Thomas Luoma, Tamara Piilola, and Ulrika Ylioja, guided by Anu Tuomi.
Tyyssija
Completed in 2022, Tyyssija’s artwork Lumpeet is a layered photographic piece printed on glass panels, backed by a video-controlled LED light network. It consists of two parts: a large rectangular piece at the main entrance on Inspehtorinkatu and a smaller circular piece in the courtyard between staircases A and B.
The work depicts water lilies and aquatic plants, and the LED lighting that turns on in the evening adds new layers, evoking reflections and an underwater world. Artist Santeri Tuori drew inspiration from the building’s architecture and the designated space: entering the courtyard feels like diving through structures, reminiscent of being by a pond and discovering a hidden world beneath the surface.
Student Village
Monumental sculpture Igitur stands near Aitiopaikka on Inspehtorinkatu.
Completed in 1999, the piece symbolizes the steps of knowledge. According to artist Pepe González, the steps shrink as one climbs higher, and obstacles appear because knowledge is harder to reach at the top. Made of iron, wood, and fiberglass, it stands 6.1 meters tall.
González also designed the concrete apples used as traffic barriers in the Student Village.
Student Village
Yöperhoset is a light art projection on the end walls of four buildings (5 D, 6 B, 74 A, and 16 B). Artist Merja Pitkänen drew inspiration from the contrast between the riverside meadow and the Student Village architecture. The butterflies are nocturnal species found in the area between the river and the village. Their presence on the walls softens the contrast and connects the village to its environment.
Because the piece is in a student housing area, the artist wanted it visible when residents are active, morning departures for studies and evening returns, or outings and hobbies.
Picture: Kai Ailio
Student Village
Kaleidoskooppi is an artwork made of colored plexiglass strips, located in the end windows of staircase 11 C. It changes with time of day and season: in darkness, its colors are enjoyed outside; in bright sunlight, from inside the corridor.
Artist Kati Immonen wanted to bring personality and character to an otherwise anonymous stairwell—like walking inside a modern stained-glass painting.
Yo-talot
Campus Aboensis decorates the front of Yo-talo A. This colorful spatial artwork is 28 meters long. It’s not just for viewing—it also serves as a bike rack.
Artist Pepe González hid equations and formulas from Euler’s number, Pythagoras, and Leviathan in the piece.
Yo-talot
Kulkijat is a mural commissioned by the Student Union of the University of Turku for its 100th anniversary.
Designed by artist Topi Ruotsalainen, the 15-meter mural was created in summer 2023 next to the main entrance of Yo-talo A. It celebrates a century of student life in Turku, featuring traditional processions, demonstrations, and the iconic student overall culture.
