Turku Capital of Culture Donates Seals to the City

Six of the seal sculptures from the Hello Seal! campaign are being donated by the 2011 European Capital of Culture to sites in the city. The large, pleasant creatures will go to the Impivaara Swimming Centre, a day care centre, a school, a nursing home, Turku Energia and the HK Arena.

The seals were presented to their recipients at the Impivaara Swimming Centre on Tuesday 17 April, and have already been delivered to their new homes.

Hello Seal!, conceived by artist Camilla Hackman, delighted passers-by in the streets of Turku during the city’s year as the Capital of Culture in 2011. The project was not a part of the official Capital of Culture programme, but surveys have shown that the public remembers it as such.

- Hello Seal! really captured the spirit of the Capital of Culture and added a surprising and fun element to the streetscape, says Cay Sevón, Executive Director of the Turku 2011 Foundation.

- We want to continue spreading the joy in the city by donating these seals to public spaces.

During the summer of 2011, there were 40 seals all around Turku, for example on the riverside and in shopping centres. The seal shape was designed by Stefan Lindfors, after which the sculptures were painted by 40 local artists in their own styles.

Most of the seals were sold and placed in private spaces, and the proceeds from this (EUR 27,400) were donated to the Protection Fund for the Archipelago Sea.

Three of the seals will cycle through sites owned by the City of Turku, staying for a year in each. The first locations will be the Anniitu day care centre in Hirvensalo, the Turku Vocational Institute on Kellonsoittajankatu and the Ruusukortteli nursing home.

- We will look after the seals. They are guaranteed to bring a smile to the faces of many Turku residents,says Deputy Mayor Maija Kyttä.