The pavement on the east side of Erottajankatu received a temporary extension in the summer of 2023, which added greenery, furniture and terraces in the space. The extension will remain in place until the end of 2024. To make the area more attractive from a recreational point of view and to make it seen as a pedestrian space, a piece of street art will be added to the temporary pavement. The painting improves the connection between the old and new pavement. The street painting is the work of public art designer Maikki Rantala of the SAV Art Collective. Rantala will personally implement the piece of art.
The painting was designed together with operators in the area through background discussions and workshops. The operators hoped that the street art would be focused on the crossings and hubs of Erottajankatu. Of the proposed themes, the operators liked the green theme, in addition to which they hoped that the services, architecture, and street activities would be present in the details of the painting.
The purpose of the painting is to make a creative showcase of the Erottajankatu environment, help draw the pedestrians’ attention to the environment, and to liven up the area. Its goal is also to trial the possibilities of temporary street art to influence the pedestrian experience of the area.
The piece consists of three levels: a green base pattern, colourful highlights, and white details. The base pattern will wind up the street, creating a link from the old pavement to the temporary extension. The patterns will feature the ornaments of the street’s facades, such as plants and various creatures. What’s used to create the pattern are stencils that can be turned, arranged and repeated on the street. Coloured highlights will be placed at important spots, like crossing and the end of the streets. In these spots, the highlights will be in the colour of the facade. White details are used to showcase the more detailed histories and stories of each block, their services, street life and the architecture.
The painting will be implemented starting from May 17. To create the painting, small sections of the street will be closed at a time without significant impact on traffic. The work area will be marked with posts and tape, one stencil (roughly 2m×5m piece) at a time. Lime paint will be used to create the painting, as it can be easily washed off. The artist will choose the suitable paint in cooperation with Suomen luonnonmaalit Oy to discover a suitable option. When the pavement extension is removed in late 2024, the painting will be removed with it.
