Last Saturday the city of Lahti got more color on its generally depressing gray surface when a group of graffiti artists spray painted a section of the plywood fence in the middle of the city.
The fence is surrounding a construction site on the market square. Underground car park is designed under the market square and it will be completed in the spring of 2015.
Where there has been set up new street art walls for free use around the rest of Finland, in Lahti it still appears to be behind a hard work. So far the city has permitted paintings in some underpasses and Lahti Energia (an energy company) has given electrical boxes for painters use.
Last Saturday’s painting event was part of The Art Saturday. The Night of the Arts — or The Art Saturday in Lahti (*) — is an annual wide-ranging cultural event, which takes place in several Finnish cities and towns.
The green colored plywood fence is about a kilometer long, but there is no legal section to be painted freely. However at least on the Aleksanterinkatu’s (street) side of the square there are meters wide adverts.
A part of the fence has been painted earlier apparently by the project Inspis, which aims to create new employment practices for young people and targets in general comfort and bringing cleanliness to people’s attention through different activities.
Another section on the same street was painted on The Art Saturday by the students of Kannas Gymnasium.
I went to take photos of all the legal graffitis on the fence.
*Several years ago Lahti made the event time earlier from the evening and night because of increased use of alcoholic beverages in public.
This was done on the Day of the Arts, 2013
Another painting by Inspis project.
Painting by Kannas Gymnasium.
Painting by Kannas Gymnasium.
The plywood fence has windows to the market square construction site.
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