Ääret
Sound work 2025
Ääret is an immersive soundscape inviting the listener to withdraw into a private realm within the bustle of public space. Presented as part of the City of Helsinki’s placemaking programme, the work is located at Ala-Malmi Park in a green oasis designed by RaivioBumann around Parkly’s modular furniture — an urban meeting place and platform for collaborative events throughout the summer.
Ääret carries you to the banks of the Longinoja stream, where the flow of water and the song of birds weave gently around you. Recorded on 25 May 2025 — in that fleeting moment when nature stirs into a new day on the threshold of summer — the piece captures the delicate awakening of the season.
Here, time seems to dissolve. Within this boundless space, the listener can merge with the currents of time, sound, and place — an experience that unfolds most vividly through headphones.
The work is a temporary public artwork, available to experience
from 14 June to 30 August 2025 at Ala-Malmi Park.
Artist: Anu Lehto
Music: Moby courtesy of mobygratis.com
With special thanks to:
Website technical implementation: Inuits.fi
Photos: Setup Studio Helsinki
Signage for the artwork: Anna Kokki
Model & art tester: Nina Hiukkanen
Making of Ääret
Ääret was born from a wish to bring an artistic layer to RaivioBuman’s placemaking project — to highlight, through sound, the nearby Longinoja stream, an area of significant ecological value. I made several field trips to the site, which inspired different concepts to accompany Parkly’s modular furniture. From these ideas, the sound work Ääret emerged as the final piece.
On 9 April, we took a field trip to Ala-Malmi Park
and the Longinoja area.
On 19 April, I visited Longinoja to make test recordings.
On 25 May, early in the morning, I headed to Longinoja to capture the final recordings in nature awakening to summer.
