The Mirror of the Day arrives at Asemanranta in October
In October 2026, visual artist Johanna Rope’s artwork The Mirror of the Day will be erected on Mensanaukio square in Hämeenlinna’s Asemanranta district. This striking work combines a moving steel sculpture with diverse, multi-species vegetation. Construction of the piece has progressed over the summer and early autumn at a workshop in Ulvila, and it will next travel to Hämeenlinna.
The Mirror of the Day makes visible the passage of the day, the shifting of light, and the flow of time within the urban space. The work’s central element is a steel ring weighing 1,500 kilograms, which rotates on its axis at its own varying pace. It starts and stops without any visible cause, almost as if it had a will of its own.
The seven-metre-wide steel ring is supported by pillars eight metres tall. The steel ring will be painted white and the pillars black. Driven by an electric motor, the ring rotates at a speed of half to two revolutions per minute. The work is illuminated so that it appears light and airy in the dusk. Through its movement and the interplay of light, the work invites passers-by to pause for a moment and view their surroundings from a new perspective.
Lush and diverse vegetation will be planted around the work, forming an essential part of the whole. The Mirror of the Day is designed to live and change over the course of decades. When the work’s movement eventually comes to an end in the future, the steel ring will be permanently fixed in place. Climbing plants will then gradually be allowed to cover the sculpture, and the work will continue its life as the vegetation grows to become part of it.
The Mirror of the Day complements the evolving urban environment of Asemanranta and creates a new landmark on Mensanaukio square, one that changes with the time of day, the seasons, and the surrounding vegetation.
This has been long awaited, and we at the art museum are truly proud that The Mirror of the Day will become a new landmark in our city, right next to the railway station,
says Jenny Valli, Director of Hämeenlinna Art Museum, with delight.
“The work will be a magnificent welcome to those arriving in our city. For us residents, it will give us plenty to ponder for a long time to come. How is The Mirror of the Day turning right now? Does the work change at different times of day?”
Years of work culminate in the unveiling of The Mirror of the Day
A public art competition for the artwork was held in 2018, which The Mirror of the Day won. Rope carried out the further design of the work together with Hefmec Engineering Oy and Nomaji maisema-arkkitehdit Oy in 2021–2022.
The work is being realised as so-called percent art, meaning that the environmental art in Asemanranta is funded through a fee written into the area’s plot-handover and land-use agreements. Under these agreements, 8 euros per square metre of floor area built have been allocated to art projects in the area.
The Mirror of the Day will be set in motion at the unveiling event held on Mensanaukio square on 23 October,