When I left they were sleeping

This sculptural installation by Orimattila-based artist Virpi Kanto consists of 32 faces cast in concrete, spread out across the 100-metre-long concrete wall in a bicycle tunnel at the Lahti travel centre.

The faces are all different sizes and shapes, their expressions and colours varying as well. Some have closed their eyes, imparting a strong symbolic tone to the series. The faces are arranged rhythmically to form groups in a way that is fascinating to the eye. The title of Kanto’s work is borrowed from the lyrics of Leonard Cohen’s song Sisters of Mercy. Mounted along a busy thoroughfare, the sleepy and serene faces create a compelling contrast with the daily function of their space, which is certainly not characterised by stillness and silence. The deliberate generosity and simplicity of the faces make it easy and effortless to encounter the work, even for fast cyclists.

On the wall of the bicycle tunnel of Lahti Matkakeskus. – Mannerheiminkatu 15, Lahti.
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