Green flag of knowledge
Kimmo Ylönen
Temporary environment art installation was up for public view 25.5.-8.6.2026
A watermill built from natural materials waves a leaf of a plant, the green flag. The automated “prayer mill” of environmental awareness rotates until it breaks down safely into the stream. The work will be on display from May 25th onward.
The work, consisting of dozens of watermills, will be on display from May 25 until the watermills are washed away by themselves into the Plaanaoja stream. The mills can be found in places along the Plaanaoja stream in the center of Oulu.
The watermill device, built from natural materials, consists of a frame and a wheel driven by hydropower. The platforms of the cart tap on the lower end of the rod attached to its own axle. At the top end of the pole swings a leaf of a local plant acting as a flag. The automated “prayer mill” of environmental awareness rotates until it breaks down safely into the stream.
Through play and easy crafts suitable for all ages, Ylönen encourages us to pay attention to the well-being of the nearby stream and, by extension, to the state of the world’s waters. After all, every drop is part of the big cycle of our blue planet.
Image: Kati Leinonen
Accessibility
Accessibility for people with reduced mobility: The work is located in Plaanaoja in the centre of Oulu. The work is located in an urban environment.
Accessibility through senses: The work can be experienced by sight.
Image gallery
Artist:
Kimmo Ylönen
Kimmo Ylönen (b. 1970, Ylöjärvi) is a visual artist living and working in the outer archipelago of Parainen. In his studio, Ylönen builds sculptures using wood collected from the forest floor and demolition sites, in addition to other recycled materials, addressing big questions about humanity and the universe. The work on these ever-accumulating entities seems to be for life.
Alongside producing new, hard-surfaced and durable works, Ylönen develops his ability to work with light equipment on the road. The work can be, for example, a long performance realized on foot or by bicycle and a community art walk, during which site-specific artworks slowly moldering into nature are made. Activism rears its head in Ylönen’s work.
