Public art project to be presented at Malmi Airport on Tuesday 26 April 2005

23 April 2005

The public art project "Malmi Airport: Rite to Land" by Vanessa Bartlett will be presented at Malmi Airport on Tuesday 26 April 2005.

Malmi Airport: Rite to Land
A Public Art Project by Vanessa Bartlett

The future of Malmi airport is widely debated in Helsinki. Plans to close the airfield and use the land to build residential housing have provoked strong reactions from both the users of the airport who are fighting to keep it open, and local councilors who argue that the need for new housing in the city outweighs the importance of preserving the site.

Malmi Airport: Rite to Land is a reflection on the issues surrounding the future of the airport, viewed from the perspective of an outsider. Using the airport as a catalyst for ideas, the work explores the meaning of ownership of land and the rights of an individual to possess land for their own needs.

The project will consist of two flags that have been made using photographic images of Malmi, taken by one of the users of the airport. They show images of the runway from above, photographed through the window of his aeroplane. These flags will be flown at the airport and will then be displayed in the entrance of Kuvataideakatemia. A book that documents the artist's working process, including her research on and relationship to the airport will also be on exhibition in the airport.

The flags will be flown at the airport between 12.00 and 15.00 on Tuesday 26th April. The book and photographs by the artist can also be viewed on this day.

Vanessa Bartlett is a young artist from Glasgow School of Art. She has been living in Helsinki for four months. Her main working interest is in politically charged public spaces. Previous projects include works at Glasgow Central Railway Station and at the Pan-Opticon Theatre. She uses research and photography as strategies for producing work.