The Silent Guest was an intervention at the Kyösti Kallio memorial statue in the centre of Helsinki. Coffee and cake was served and a speech was given for Kallio, whose monument was the ‘silent guest’ of the event. The sculpture was both there and not there and the event mused on the nature of the memorial. The speech was performed by artist Eero Yli-Vakkuri.
Patsastellaan is an ongoing project by James Prevett where artists or collectives are invited to throw a party for a public sculpture in Helsinki. The artists choose the sculpture, define the party and invite its guests. They re-activate public sculptures from a contemporary viewpoint and stimulate their public consciousness. What do we choose celebrate and why? What is the public and who is it for?
The parties have been supported by Kone Foundation and The Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
Photographs: Iiri Poteri
