“Helsinki’s Central railway station’s pedestrian tunnel transforms into
an instrument to be played by urban life and the trains passing overhead.”

The pedestrian tunnel underneath Helsinki’s Central railway station connecting Kaisaniemi Park with Elielinaukio Square will become a large-scale resonant instrument. The tunnel will be rendered in warm light and inhabited by an animate, permutable sonic atmosphere to accompany the daily life of commuters and passers-by during the three darkest months of the year. The installation ran for three months, starting on November 2nd 2020.
Listening to the rhythms generated at the train platforms, the tunnel followed them as if it were a large, breathing organism echoing the life above and intensifying the urban experience within it. The more active the society is, the more dynamic the sonic activity in the tunnel will be.
Sound is a powerful tool in creating a “sense of place”, giving it an atmospheric ‘tint’. Our spaces are accompanied, coloured and impregnated by sound. I believe that applying ”sonic pressure” to key points in public spaces is a compelling strategy to challenge the habits and behavioural patterns already formed in the space, stimulate new engagement with the site and cultivate more conscious urban dwelling. Adding this new layer to the tunnel modified its conditions, and the existing perception of this space will change.

Urban sounds reflected the return to normal.
The pandemic and the restrictions it imposed made commuting and other city rhythms sparser. This project was created in the hope of becoming a beacon signalling the return of everyday urban life. Many artistic factors contributed to his decision to use this particular tunnel as the site for this project. I engaged in a long process to feel the tunnel rhythms and its behaviour. To me, the tunnel revealed itself as a mirror of the city’s activities and society’s activities. This was very noticeable during lockdown and post-summer back to activity.
I have been circulating through this space for years, and as an urban dweller, I can contribute my vision to the perception of this space and my vision of Helsinki as an experience-based city, Moruno says.
The installation was running for three months, starting on November 2nd 2020 and ending on February 2nd 2021, and was open daily from 6h to 21h.

FOLLOW THE PROJECT ON INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/tunnelpiecehelsinki/?hl=en