The floor artwork Alli, Juhani and Sven Tuuva was designed and realized to enliven the floors of the hall and corridor areas of the Mansikkaniemi school in Iisalmi. The work that won the invitational competition was completed in the spring of 2023.

The intertextual work consisting of seven parts connects the new school to the history of the Mansikkaniemi region. Four of the parts of the work are located in the lobbies for small school children on the first floor and three on the upper floor, which is used by the upper grades.

Partanen & Lamusuo drew inspiration for the artwork from the well-known poem A bunny sat on the ground by the writer and school director Alli Nissinen, who was originally from Iisalmi, from the classic Railway by Juhani Aho, who lived in the small parish of Mansikkaniemi, and from J.L. Runeberg's poem, which tells about the adventures of Sven Tuuva in the Battle of Koljonvirta. The Koljonvirta river flowing past the Mansikkaniemi school is known for the battle that took place during the Finnish war.

"The artworks on the first floor show the bunny's bouncing tracks and the railways that push from one space to another. In addition to taking the historical framework into account, we wanted to realize a functional and imagination-fueling work that inspire the children to develop their own games and play", says Jaana Partanen.

"We implemented Sven Tuuva's footprints, ships and rudders into the floor works on the second floor, as the background factors of the Finnish war and the Battle of Koljonvirta were, among other things, control of sea routes and trade. The works are also linked to the current world political situation. The ideas evoked by the artworks can be used in teaching", continues Heikki Lamusuo.

In the execution of the work, the floor coating was used in a completely new and innovative way. Partanen & Lamusuo developed the implementation method in cooperation with Sika Finland and Suomen Pinta Oy.

The artists worked on the coating spread on the floor with different colored coatings. The realization of the works was practiced in advance, as the time for working was only 15 minutes after applying the coating that acts as a base. The piece solidified into its final shape in 30 minutes.

"The implementation of Alli, Juhani and Sven Tuuva was very intense, exciting and fun. Doing it required close presence in the moment," describes Partanen.

See more pictures of the working stage of the artwork.