Sparrow Talk, 2020

Public commission in Koivukylä, Vantaa Vantaa Art Museum Collection

Two sided window shaped Led-screen hanging over the staircase two animated text and image based videos loop 50 min, separete videos for day and night

Poems by Pauli Tapio

Commissioner: Seija Tulonen, Vantaa Public Utility Services centre Curator Anne Kaarna, Vantaa Art Museum

Led-screen and video technics: Pro Av Saarikko Light design: Ari Tiilikainen, LITE Designs Oy Metal works: Jukka Merta, Selki-Asema oy, Tieliuska oy Costruction engineer: Heikki Vanne, AFRY Electrical engineer: Tony Nelin, SEU

Sparrow talk is displayed on a two sided Led-screen which is hanged over the stairs of walkway leading from Havukoski area to railway station. Led-screen is shaped to resemble windows of nearby houses. Videos show a flock of sparrows sitting on window sill. Window seems to be slowly flying in the middle of clouds. Ocassionally hand-written poems appear over the sparrows.

Work is based on sparrow as a suburbian, social bird. The mundaness and globality of the bird combines with life of people in area. Sparrow lives around the globe and its “talk” varies depending the area it is living.

Pauli Tapio’s poems appear on the screen like written or thought the time they are shown. Poems play with ambiguity of words and features of bird song. Poems have references to Koivukylä area, different languages and traditions, singing and movements of sparrow. Languages which are used in poems are spoken in the area of Koivukylä.

On the bacground of the work lies the notion of impossiblity to understand different species, cultures or languages completely.