Rajakylä Library, Oulu Finland

Commisioner Oulu Art Museum / Tarja Kekäläinen

Architect: Architect’s Office Kimmo Kuismanen

Seven moth shaped sculptures on walls and ceiling of library.

Painted aluminium and polyester resin. Size of each sculpture 70 x 40 x 30 cm

"...in heavily industrialised areas, pollution results in trees and other structures being covered in a layer of soot. This layer means that light coloured insects resting on dark backgrounds can be easily spotted by predators. This results in fewer light coloured individuals in the population and breeding between the darker form results in more dark forms. Over time there become many more dark forms of a species in the environment than the light form. This is known as Industrial melanism"  The Amateur Entomologists' Society

In “Shelter” seven enlarged copies of moth Oligia latruncula are attached to walls and ceiling of Rajakylä Library. This species is specially sensitive to pollution in environment. Dark variations are common in industrialized areas.  The color of butterfly is information and indicator of its environment.  In library walls moths are painted according the colors of their background materials. Libary is a place to gather and archive information. Due to their color moths have specific information of their environment. On the walls of the library these overgrown butterflies have found a safe haven to themselves as well as to the knowledge they have in their wings