This was a massive project involving around 70 people. We all worked together at a manic pace to get this ready in time for the opening and some of us were working right up until the last hour. We knew it was an ambitious project from the start, but sometimes you just need a challenge.
We rented a small parking lot complex and spent most of the first two days filling it with snow and ice. This was definitely the hardest part of the whole project. Everyone needed the raw materials to begin working and it felt really weird to be working so hard to move snow that was literally surrounding us and raining down from the sky.
In order for everything to be ready on time we divided the complex into sections and I manged to make it on to the team that was responsible for designing one of the entrance ice domes. A hemisphere balloon with a 6 meter radius was covered with a thick layer of ice then deflated to create the working space. It was a simple yet effective solution.
Unlike previous projects in Finland, there was no heavy sponsorship to cater to so we could do whatever we wanted. I knew right away that I wanted to push boundaries and try something new. After much discussion we decided to make fabric sculptures that would be frozen in space. We thought it would be interesting if we could shape the fabric into a free standing spiral structure. A local artist donated some fabric for us to work with. However long story short, it wasn't meant to be.
As you can tell the sculptures lack any sort of aesthetic appeal and structural integrity. Personally, I was crushed. I still think there is something to this method, but I will have to work on it at a later date. So on the last work day we changed our design entirely and the race to the end began. The first thing we did was switch out the spiral fabric for ice.
This changed solved two problems. It gave us a place to hide our light sources and was much better than their fabric counterparts in every way. We didn't want to abandon the fabric completely so we reformed it into a forest structure.
This redesign helped to emphasize the printed image much better and gave a nod to the famous Finnish landscape. We then hid some speakers behind our fabric forest to further create an encompassing experience for the viewer. We created a series of atmospheric noises by distorting sounds from a xylophone and walking through snow. An unexpected bonus from our sound installation is that the bass noises reverberated throughout the entire complex.
Show time arrived, everything was in place, and it looked fantastic. It really was something that could only be experienced in person. The sound, lighting, and visuals all combined to create a unique experience. Unfortunately, spring came and it survives only through pictures and memories now.
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