Mikrocosmos, a work of art donated to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Turku in 1986, has found a new home in Agora. Mikrocosmos is part of the University's valuable art collection of hundreds of works which is presented in the online gallery of the University of Turku art collection published in spring 2024.
In the online gallery of the University’s art collection, Doctoral Researcher Emma Vuolaslempi describes Mikrocosmos as follows:
Eeva Renvall’s large-scale textile work Mikrocosmos (1986) hung in the Faculty of Medicine building Mikro until its demolition in spring 2019. Donated by the Turku University Foundation on 5 September 1986, the work was inspired by its original site. The disciplines taught in the building, virology and microbiology, are represented in the artwork’s lower and upper parts as viruses spinning in the centrifuge and bacteria attacking from the sky.
The two parts’ dominant colours refer to the red and blue used on the different floors of the building, which also correspond to the disciplines’ locations in it. A stylised question mark crosses the work’s steel-grey background, joining together the two parts and the disciplines they denote. Although the building that served as the work’s inspiration no longer exists, this part of the University’s history is preserved in Renvall’s Mikrocosmos.
“The work is an exceptionally skilfully executed and unique combination of two parts. The base fabric is woven into a cotton warp with metal thread. Embroidery and piles have been made with wool and linen yarns. The largest circle was made separately and sewn in place,” describes Planning Officer Anne-Katri Hatakka-Juntti who is the Project Manager of the online gallery project of the University's art collection.
Preserving cultural heritage
In September 2024, Mikrocosmos was relocated to Agora.
“There was a great deal of discussion with many different user groups about where the work would be relocated to. In the end, relocating the work to Agora was a clear decision. The location of the work requires, among other things, indirect natural light so that the textures and colour harmonies of the work can be perceived both in detail and as a whole,” Hatakka-Juntti says.
Before the work was relocated, it was conserved by Textile Conservator Henna Koskinen. Conserving and relocating the work were made possible by the Turku University Foundation.
“The main goal of the Turku University Foundation is to support research conducted at the University but it is also important for the Foundation to preserve the University’s cultural heritage. Mikrocosmos was donated by the Foundation so it is of particular interest to us. The new location in Agora is excellent and brings out the work beautifully,” says Professor Emerita Riitta Pyykkö from the Turku University Foundation.
Explore the art collection
Mikrocosmos is part of the University's valuable art collection. The collection includes hundreds of artworks and it has been accumulated over more than a hundred years, partly through donations. On 28 February 2024, the day of the University’s Anniversary Celebration, the University published an online gallery presenting a selection of 70 works from the University’s art collection through photographs, descriptive texts and archival material. The online gallery has been funded by the Turku University Foundation.
Text: Hanna Hämynen
Translation: Hanna Hämynen
Photo from Agora: Peter Sebastian, University of Turku
Photo from Mikro: Jarmo Koskinen, Archives of the University of Turku
