On 5 August, we invite you to take a self-directed tour of Helsinki and Espoo, visiting sites of local interest. On this page we give details about a scheduled morning activity, and suggestions for places to visit in the afternoon.
“The Mystery of the Often-Sneezing Octopus“
5 August, 10:00–12:00
Myllypuro elementary school
“The Mystery of the Often-Sneezing Octopus” is a public artwork by artist Markus Rissanen (b. 1973) completed in June 2022. The work was commissioned by the City of Helsinki and it is located at the Myllypuro elementary school. The artwork consists of 2216 custom made rhombic ceramic tiles attached on a 60 m2 wall outside of the school. The work is based on Hex Rosa, a tiling system developed by the artist. The Hex Rosa tiling is a rotationally symmetric pattern which can be constructed for any integer n > 1. The rotational symmetry of this artwork is based on number 7.
On Friday Aug. 5th at 10–12 a.m. artist Markus Rissanen will show the work outside the school, its continuation inside the school and show some additional drawings and sketches relating to the pattern and the geometric ideas behind it.
Location: Yläkivenrinne 4 (close to Yläkivenrinne 6), Myllypuro, Helsinki. Circa 500 meters southwest of the Myllypuro Metro station. Walk along street Yläkiventie until you see Formula Center Helsinki ahead. Turn left to Yläkivenrinne street and after descending the hill continue right to the parking lot. Look around and you will see the artwork.
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital city of Finland, and the location for a few Bridges events (the evening reception on 1 August and our Family Day activities on 4 August). We invite you to download our list to explore museums, art galleries, and other sites of interest in Helsinki, as well as a few in other parts of Finland.
Espoo
Espoo borders Helsinki. It is the main location of this year’s Bridges conference. The City of Espoo has provided us with a document suggesting many sites of interest in Espoo.
Note that the EMMA museum in Espoo will have free evening admission (17:00–19:00) on August 5.