A communal showcase for the area’s residents is being piloted at the Kaitaa metro station. The first exhibition was created by the Kaitaa lower secondary school in collaboration with KAMU Espoo City Museum.
The visual arts-orientated group of the Kaitaa school’s eighth grade created the ‘Evolving kaitaa’ (Muuttuva Kaitaa) arts project. The project’s objective was to explore, reflect on and make visible the neighbourhood’s history and evolution through art. The project was implemented in collaboration with KAMU Espoo City Museum, and Länsimetro provided a showcase for the project at the metro station.
The exhibition was opened on Tuesday 11 March 2025 and will be on display until the end of April. The showcase is located at the entrance to the metro station, on the street level. The street address of entrance is Kaitaantie 14. The showcase is outside the paid zone. The paid zone, in which a valid travel ticket is required, begins at the ticket readers.
Students inspired by the neighbourhood and local history
“The school’s art project began in October with the students exploring the area and getting to know the local history. The students visited Villa Rulludd under the guidance of KAMU’s educators Helena Heikkilä and Iris Hyyrynen, who later gave an inspiring lecture on the area’s history. The students also went on walks to discover other areas in Kaitaa and examples of more recent architecture. To support their own artistic work, the students took visual notes by photographing,” says visual arts teacher Maria Annala from Kaitaa School.
Based on the background research, the students brainstormed and created their artwork using their chosen technique. The creations are pencil and coloured pencil drawings, watercolour and acrylic paintings, and three-dimensional scale models. Some of the creations depict a certain era, while others showcase the evolution of the neighbourhood through architecture.
In summer 2025, photographs of the art created for the Evolving Kaitaa project will also be on display at Lilla Villan on Espoo’s Pentala island. The photo exhibition will be organised in collaboration with KAMU.
A communal showcase at the metro station tells the story of the area
The students’ artwork is currently on display in the communal showcase at the Kaitaa metro station. The exhibition is the first in a series of pilot exhibitions at the metro station.
“At Länsimetro, we are looking for new ways to enliven the stations and highlight the areas surrounding the stations. Each of the West Metro stations features unique architecture and reflects the cityscape of their respective area. Exhibition activities at the metro stations have garnered interest over the years, and, inspired by an active teacher, we decided to pilot a communal showcase at Kaitaa,” says Länsimetro’s Communications Manager Marianne Partanen.
The Kaitaa showcase is intended as an exhibition space for the actors in the vicinity of the station, such as schools, day-care centres and recreation clubs. More information about the communal showcase
Further information
Kaitaa School’s art project: visual arts teacher Maria Annala (maria.annala@opetus.espoo.fi)
The metro station and the showcase: Communications Manager Marianne Partanen (marianne.partanen@lansimetro.fi, tel. +358 (0)43 825 9607