Divine light: this chapel in Turku draws on a long tradition of remarkable Finnish churches in which religion, nature and light come together.In a quiet backwater of fields and woods on the island of Hirvensalo in the south-west of Finland, St Henry's Ecumenical Art Chapel grows from its site--a hillock hillock /hill·ock/ (hil´ok) a small prominence or elevation. hill·ock n. A small protuberance or elevation, as from an organ, a tissue, or other structure. surrounded by pines and spruces--embracing context and the natural environment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The chapel is not immediately apparent on approach: following the bend of the road you are suddenly confronted by the elegant copper-clad church, its volume contrasting with its surroundings. It has the appearance of an upturned ship's hull. The design vocabulary juxtaposes copper and wood, light and shade. The chapel was finished earlier this year so the copper is new; eventually its green patina patina (păt`ənə), coating of carbonate of copper on articles of copper or bronze, formed after long exposure to a moist atmosphere or burial in the earth. will help the church blend with the surrounding pine trees. St Henry's is approached head on, up a gentle dogleg dog·leg n. 1. a. Something that has a sharp bend, especially a road or route that bends abruptly. b. A sharp bend or turn: Make a dogleg at the fire station and continue south. pedestrian ramp to the small foyer lit by natural light at the western entrance. You proceed from here through a passageway to the church proper, from darkness to light; at the far eastern end two side windows the height of the chapel throw light down onto the altar, breathtaking on a sunny day. The architect describes the main hall as the stomach of the fish, the fish being a symbol of early Christians (fitting as the church is ecumenical). Gallery and chapel are one volume, with the gallery at the back, and the chapel proper in the front, with the altar terminating the axis. The benches are removed for art exhibitions and you can view the art while religious ceremonies are being conducted. The whole interior, bar the glazing around the altar, is of wood, the warm smell of which permeates the space. Seating is simple angular backless benches made of solid, edge-laminated common alder; but this elegant, pared down minimalism minimalism, schools of contemporary art and music, with their origins in the 1960s, that have emphasized simplicity and objectivity. Minimalism in the Visual Arts could prove inhospitable in·hos·pi·ta·ble adj. 1. Displaying no hospitality; unfriendly. 2. Unfavorable to life or growth; hostile: the barren, inhospitable desert. during long church services. The chapel's loadbearing structure consists of tapering Tapering Gradually reducing the amount of a drug when stopping it abruptly would cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Mentioned in: Narcotics tapering, n ribs of laminated pine two metres apart. Between these ribs is a curved interior lining of 100mm wide, untreated pine boarding. At the moment this is very light, but with time the tone will deepen to a reddish hue. The pine ribs are lit by spotlights. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The floorboards are 200mm wide, 50mm thick pine planks and run parallel to the axis of the the diameter of the sphere which is perpendicular to the plane of the circle. See also: Axis space. These have been waxed to create a clicking sound when walked on, reminiscent of the floors of old churches. The patinated altar is the last public work by academician and sculptor Kain Tapper Kain Tapper (1930-2004) was a Finnish sculptor. He
Matti Senaksenaho continues the distinguished legacy of the Finnish church architecture of Engel, Aalto, Sonck, Bryggman and more recently of Juha Leiviska in his luminous churches in Myrrmaki and in Mannisto (ARs June 1987 and June 1994). |
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