Reed, Read, Read

The Reed, Read, Read installation examines the role stories and visions play in shaping the future of living. It proposes a future, where we combine innovation with learning from tradition and local knowledge to create a good life within planetary boundaries. The installation is inspired by the traditional Finnish “olkihimmeli” craft, a hanging decoration made of straw. Straw, a byproduct of the stalk of cereal plants and thus a material of little value, was readily available in agricultural society. It was upcycled into a decorative ornament for the home. The hexagonal structure allows for strong and extendable compositions, with minimal material use. 

The installation updates the craft to respond to the challenges at hand today by substituting straw with a locally sourced reed plant (Phragmites australis). The reed is not just readily available, but harvesting the reed helps to prevent the eutrophication of the Baltic sea by removing phosphorus and nitrogen from the ecosystem. At the same time the thicker stalk of the reed re-sizes the traditional craft presented in homes, and transforms it into a scale suitable for a public space. 

Reed, Read, Read is composed of 27 hexagonal modules, one for each EU country.

VAPAA was invited to create a space for the Finnish edition of the Europe Readr project of the 2021 EU presidency of Slovenia. The project was supported by the European Commission, EUNIC, the Embassies of Slovenia, Austria and Poland, Institut Français, Instituto Italiano di Cultura and Goethe Institut.