HER WORK BENCH – HELENE SCHJERFBECK MEMORIAL

In the period, when the artist Helene Schjerfbeck lived in Tammisaari, she was mostly looking for peace and time for her paintings. Being disabled, she liked to spend her time on a garden bench at home, which she called “Мy work bench”.
The purpose of the project is to create a public art work, where the interaction between the visitor and the landscape is from the point of view of Helene Schjerfbeck and her work bench.
The project presents an ensemble of benches placed among the existing trees. A rectangular frame is positioned in front of each bench featuring a self-portrait of the artist with the face cut out. In this way, the person sitting on the bench can contemplate the landscape.
Four benches, respectfully four frames are situated in the park.
The mosaic work is exact repetition of the painting’s background and creates a vivid picture, which underlines the existing landscape, without disturbing it.

type: public art, open competition
location: Tammisaari, Finland
team: Milena Fetvadjieva, Ivan Smolianov, Alexandar Smolianov
project year: 2012