“A question for students: what could your school feel like? Answer: like this.”
Case City of
Helsinki
End Result
The finished work made the gym feel like a new space and gave it an energetic, urban look.
As part of the project, FunkOn also organized basketball training in the gym with Helsinki Seagulls’ Chrysostom Chukwuma. The event produced media content that inspired exercise.
Students and staff felt that the work increased the sense of participation and influence, improved the comfort of the school, and inspired students to exercise and try new things. The mural combined aesthetics, community and the joy of exercise and brought new life to a school that was otherwise on its way to demolition.
The project received attention in several traditional media, such as Helsinki News (Helsingin Uutiset).
Customer: City of Helsinki
Target group: Kannelmäki elementary school students & staff
Objective: To improve the atmosphere in the school and strengthen the students’ sense of empowerment.
Concept development
Kannelmäki’s elementary school was under threat of demolition, and the school’s everyday life was in dire need of a boost. The solution was to propose participatory murals, which would allow students to take part in the design and implementation.
The students, together with FunkOn artists, designed and implemented several paintings in different parts of the school. However, the main target was the large, shabby wall in the gym, where they wanted to create a work that would appeal to young people and inspire them to exercise.
Students were interviewed through discussions, with the aim of finding a theme for the mural. Initially, this failed to produce a clear idea. In the interviews students were asked: “What could your school feel like?” The question seemed a little strange to the students, until one student half-jokingly replied: “Like this,” and showed his Jordan shoes with a pose. This moment sparked a fun conversation that eventually led to the final theme of the mural: youth fashion and basketball.
Execution:
The mural was painted by two FunkOn artists while the school was on vacation for the Christmas holidays so that the process did not interfere with teaching. Elements relevant to young people were painted in the work:
• Kobe Bryant, a tribute to the legendary basketball player
• Ghettoblaster boombox, a reference to music culture
• Jordan 1 sneaker, an iconic symbol of youth fashion
Customer: City of Helsinki
Target group: Kannelmäki elementary school students & staff
Objective: to improve the atmosphere in the school and strengthen the students’ sense of empowerment.
Concept development
Kannelmäki’s elementary school was under threat of demolition, and the school’s everyday life was in dire need of a boost. The solution was to propose participatory murals, which would allow students to take part in the design and implementation.
The students, together with FunkOn artists, designed and implemented several paintings in different parts of the school. However, the main target was the large, shabby wall in the gym, where they wanted to create a work that would appeal to young people and inspire them to exercise.
Students were interviewed through discussions, with the aim of finding a theme for the mural. Initially, this failed to produce a clear idea. In the interviews students were asked: “What could your school feel like?” The question seemed a little strange to the students, until one student half-jokingly replied: “Like this,” and showed his Jordan shoes with a pose. This moment sparked a fun conversation that eventually led to the final theme of the mural: youth fashion and basketball.
Execution:
The mural was painted by two FunkOn artists while the school was on vacation for the Christmas holidays so that the process did not interfere with teaching. Elements relevant to young people were painted in the work:
- Kobe Bryant, a tribute to the legendary basketball player
- Ghettoblaster boombox, a reference to music culture
- Jordan 1 sneaker, an iconic symbol of youth fashion
End Result
The finished work made the gym feel like a new space and gave it an energetic, urban look.
As part of the project, FunkOn also organized basketball training in the gym with Helsinki Seagulls’ Chrysostom Chukwuma. The event produced media content that inspired exercise.
Students and staff felt that the work increased the sense of participation and influence, improved the comfort of the school, and inspired students to exercise and try new things. The mural combined aesthetics, community and the joy of exercise and brought new life to a school that was otherwise on its way to demolition.
The project received attention in several traditional media, such as Helsinki News (Helsingin Uutiset).
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