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Länsimetro and Mattlidens Gymnasium jointly implemented an art project in which students painted portraits and quotes of famous people on the worksite barrier fences of the Kaitaa metro station.

In April and May, plywood panels in the yard of Mattlidens Gymnasium were adorned with pastels and opinioned quotes. On 3 June 2019, the panels were transported from the schoolyard to the West Metro’s Kaitaa work site, where they were put up to decorate the work site barrier fences near the Kaitaantie entrance. The barrier fence is located at Kaitaantie 6, and the artwork is next to the light-traffic route on the Kaitaa school side.

“The idea to join hands with Länsimetro was sparked when our sister school Vasa Övningsskola was coming to visit us from Vaasa and we wanted to create social artwork at a joint workshop. We were happy that Länsimetro agreed to the idea,” says art teacher Fredrika Auvinen, who headed the project.

The teacher defined the project’s visual identity and colours, but the students got to choose which famous person’s portrait and quote they would paint on the fence. The work was created using stencils – first the outlines were carved, then the painting took place outside.

“We also previously collaborated with Länsimetro, during the construction phase of the Matinkylä metro station and rail line. Länsimetro immediately responded to our enquiry and joined the collaboration with a flexible approach, which really helped take the project forward,” says Saana Ruotsala, the Principal of Mattlidens Gymnasium.

“It is important to go forward in life”

In April and May, Olivia Porko and Francesca Ström carved quotes in stencils during Auvinen’s art class. “It’s not the absence of fear. It’s overcoming it”, carved Porko, quoting Emma Watson.

“I like Emma Watson, and I felt it was important to choose a well-known female,” says Porko. Next to her, Ström traces Kate Winslet’s words, “Life is short and it is there to be lived.”

“I chose this quote because it’s true, I can really get behind it,” says Ström.

Many boys painted the images and quotes of their sports heroes on the barrier fence – Casimir Seire chose ice hockey player Timo Jutila’s quote, “Menemme eteenpäin” (“We are going forward”).

“It is important to go forward in life,” says Seire.

Filemon Halmesmäki has a strong sports background – that includes ski jumping. His own background led him to choose a quote by ski-jumper Matti Nykänen: “Elämä on ihmisen parasta aikaa” (“Life is the best time of your life”).

“I wanted to honour Matti’s memory. I have a positive image of him, and I wanted to pick a quote that is meaningful in both good and bad times,” says Halmesmäki.

The choices made by the young adults highlight a sense of authenticity and the importance of being true to oneself. For her artwork, Anastasia Shmakova chose a saying by Russian band Daite tank which is painted on the plywood panel in Cyrillic script.

“The saying more or less goes, ‘I like it better when you are quiet’. It’s true – if you are really close friends with someone, it’s natural for there also to be silence, you don’t need to talk all the time,” says Shmakova.

Giselle Ahola painted Coco Chanel’s quote, ”Don’t be like the rest of them, darling”.

“I think this is saying that it’s important to be yourself,” says Ahola.

Come chat with the West Metro communications team as the Länsimetro/West Metro bike kicks off its tour in June! We will make our way through areas around the West Metro’s operational metro stations and those under construction until mid-August.

We welcome you to come chat with us and ask us any questions you have about the metro construction project. The meeting places will be announced in advance.

You can also keep track of the whereabouts of the West Metro bike on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags #länsimetrofillari and #metropolkee.

You can enter our Instagram contest in the summer by taking a picture of the West Metro bike and posting it with the hashtag #länsimetrofillari. We will hold a draw for surprise awards among all entries at the end of summer.

Our communications team will also cycle in the vicinity of the phase two metro line and worksite areas that are under construction. Also keep an eye out for us near the eight metro stations we own from Lauttasaari to Matinkylä.

We will be at the designated locations, weather permitting and based on the public’s interest, for roughly half an hour. We will announce other summer meeting times in social media and on our website.

See you around!

 

 

 

 

 

Milla Toivonen has started in her role as financial and administrative assistant at Länsimetro Oy. Toivonen reinforces the four-person finance team, which also includes the CFO, project controller and cost expert, that is dedicated to the construction of the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti metro section.

Her tasks include invoicing, processing and posting purchase invoices, managing administrative and life-cycle orders and purchasing decisions, as well as other routine financial administration tasks. Toivonen has experience of payroll administration, invoicing, accounts payable and receivable, and HR matters from her previous job in Fortido Oy’s financial administration.

“I applied for the job at Länsimetro because the job description seemed interesting and diverse. Right from the start I could see that this job offered the opportunity for personal development according to my areas of interest. The work seemed inspiring right from the start,” says Toivonen.

“It is also great to be part of such a big and important project,” she adds.

Toivonen’s first weeks on the job involve becoming familiar with both the financial administration and the project itself.

“My team and the entire work community seem very welcoming and open. My first impression is very good,” says Toivonen.

Länsimetro has placed in level III of the Zero Accident Forum’s safety level classification concerning occupational safety. The classification, organised by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, involved a total of 92 workplaces around Finland. The classifications were given to member workplaces or units that have invested in continuously improving their occupational safety.

“Nationally speaking, we are at a very good level. Our accident frequency rate is 11.7, whereas the average rate for other member workplaces was 19.5. Of course, there is always room for improvement. Although a major project always involves a tremendous amount of construction, safety is always the most important consideration,” says Susanna Laukkanen, Risk and Safety Manager for the West Metro project.

Länsimetro’s goal as a developer is to jump up one level in safety matters, to category II, next year. The company continuously works to promote safety – an on-line system for filing safety observations been created in the project, for instance. The idea behind it is for employees to spot potential hazards at worksites, with follow-up actions then taken to prevent the risks from materialising. Near-miss and accident figures are continuously assessed in projects, and worksite safety is monitored. Instructions, guidance and advice are always emphasised.

“Above all, the most important aspect is to influence safety attitudes.  All accidents can be prevented,” Laukkanen sums up.

The Kohtaamo space in the Iso Omena Library will feature the outcome of a West Metro-themed drawing competition from 13 to 24 May 2019. The works are the creation of pupils in grades 1 through 6 from Iivisniemi School in winter-spring 2019.

“West Metro is a major project that has improved our school’s traffic connections to Helsinki. The route to Helsinki used to be much more complicated, as it required three different buses. The West Metro has improved transit for our school, so we were happy to take part in the drawing competition,” says Leena-Kaisa Pesola, principal of Iivisniemi School.

“The metro is also a topic that students are familiar with – the new Kaitaa metro station is close to the school and many of our pupils’ homes,” says teacher Pekka Löppönen, who helped organise the competition.

The school’s student council board assumed main responsibility for organising the competition. According to the brief of the drawing competition, entries could consist of an image or text, and they could be created alone or as a group. The entries included a collage called West Metro Rap that was created by the entire class, as well as a creation that featured materials from various metro stations.

“Our decision to take part was also related to encouraging our pupils to participate. It was important for the children themselves to promote the matter in the classroom. We want to encourage participation and openness when it comes to matters in society – school is not an island isolated from the world,” says Pesola.

Länsimetro keeps in regular contact with parties that fall within the sphere of the construction of the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti metro section, and this includes schools and day-care centres.

“We wanted to use a drawing competition as a means of finding out how children view the metro. It was wonderful to see how positive all the artwork was towards the metro, how creatively the work was realised and how much effort they put into it,” says Länsimetro’s Communications Manager, Saija Räsänen.

Länsimetro awarded all the participants with West Metro-themed prizes.

The artwork will be displayed at the Iso Omena Library, in the Kohtaamo space, from 13–24 May, during the library’s opening hours, which are: weekdays 8.00 am–9.00 pm, and Saturday 10.30 am–6.00 pm.