William Dennisuk's environmental artwork will be worked on all summer

Artist and teacher William Dennis too the schedule of the environmental art project has been busy from the beginning. The Vuoksi-themed work will be worked on by many parties throughout the summer.

- Many different professionals must be consulted in the art of public space. That's part of the beauty of the process; art also challenges representatives of other fields to create new solutions for the environment. The cooperation with architects, engineers and metal professionals has gone excellently as everyone brings their own contribution to the project, Dennisuk says about the diversity of the process.

According to Dennisuk, it was lucky that when he got started, the building was already in place - imagining the space only in the mind brings a huge challenge to the design work:

- The height of the building, the width, the quality of the wood... all these factors contribute to the design of the artwork.

The first thought about the implementation came back to mind again and again

The piece is made of stainless steel, the surface of which is polished. The environmental artwork depicts Vuoksi's profile near Mansikkala. The steel structure reflects its surroundings and points towards Vuoksen.

- Seeing the windows on the walls of the building, I immediately understood that the architect had wanted them to reflect the school's surroundings: the sky, trees, weather phenomena. Then the image of the Vuoksi-themed steel work began to take shape - I wanted it to communicate with its changing environment, Dennisuk says about the birth of the idea.

The artist also sketched many other possible solutions, but always came back to the same, first idea. Inspired by a friend, he accepted that sometimes it is good to follow an intuitive instinct.

Dennisuk wants to use so-called living material in his work, i.e. material that brings out change and movement in different ways at different times. The polished steel surface works like a mirror.

- The purpose of my work is to connect with the environment, history and their physical dimensions. The spectrum of interpretations and the multidimensionality of the environment is my starting point in my art work, the artist explains about his methods of operation.

Installation solutions still under consideration

LED lights are installed in the background of the actual steel work of art, so that the work gets its unique visual appearance even in the dark. There will be around 20-30 steel plates to be attached to the wall.

- The wall brackets on which the work is mounted must be heated. This affects the shape of the metal and can cause visible waves on the front of the work. The proper resolution of the attachment is now under heavy consideration. In addition, the size differences of the metal parts are huge: at its narrowest point, the work is two meters high, while the highest point reaches five meters. Handling such parts is also challenging for a steel company, Dennisuk explains.

Cooperation with different professional bodies opens up limitations that a project like this would have if done alone. As an example, Dennisuk presents large-scale parts and materials:

- You had to be careful when ordering the steel pieces, because initially they turned out to be larger than the back boards of the wall. The confirmation of the matter made it possible to order the right-sized parts on time.

- Because of things like this, it's important that all parties are on the same page about what's going on at any given time. We cannot afford mistakes, and they can be avoided with proper planning and communication, Dennisuk sums up the progress of the project.

When making art in a public space, you have to take into account many things that, for example, are not considered in the same sense in gallery art; safety, weather conditions, temperatures.

- In the art of public space, the attitude must be different. This work requires patience and the acceptance that one has to work at the mercy of many variables, Dennisuk sums up.

Due to the decision of the construction workers, the work cannot be installed before the official opening of the school center. The work will probably be on the wall in October.

For more information:

Artist William Dennisuk, william.dennisukhotmail.com (william[dot]dennisuk[at]hotmail[dot]com)