long daylight pavilion by olafur eliasson brings celestial geometry to helsinki’s shoreline

Olafur Eliasson’s Long Daylight Pavilion Opens in Helsinki

Long daylight pavilion, a new permanent public artwork by Olafur Eliasson has been unveiled along the rocky waterfront of eastern Helsinki‘s Kruunuvuorenranta district. The site-specific installation functions as both an architectural intervention and a celestial marker, aligning precisely with the arc of the sun on the summer solstice.

Located at the edge of Wiirinkallio, the work marks a significant moment for the city’s commitment to public art, and for Eliasson, whose practice frequently engages with light, geometry, and human perception. The project is part of the City of Helsinki and HAM Helsinki Art Museum’s ongoing efforts to integrate contemporary art into the urban fabric. The unveiling of the Long daylight pavilion coincides with the opening of Helsinki Biennial, where another work by Olafur Eliasson, Viewing machine, will be on view on nearby Vallisaari Island.

Olafur Eliasson, Long daylight pavilion, 2025, installation view: Kruunuvuorenranta, Helsinki, Finland. photo: HAM / Maija Toivanen. commissioned by: City of Helsinki

Spatial Orientation and Material Precision

Olafur Eliasson’s Long daylight pavilion is made up of twenty-four steel poles. This circular array emerges from the exposed bedrock and stretches outward in a ring, partially extending over the water. The arrangement is carefully calibrated by the artist so that each pole corresponds to a moment in the sun’s path on June 21st, the longest day of the year in Finland. Their varying heights allow the viewer to read the solstice’s geometry through the structure itself. The lowest point, located to the north, and the highest, oriented southward, trace the arc of daylight as it would be experienced from this particular site.

Embedded directly into the granite shoreline, the poles appear grounded and deliberate. As the sun shifts overhead, shadows travel across the circular formation, introducing a quiet sense of movement. Though fixed, the work invites a sense of temporal awareness, linking visitors to the rhythm of the Earth’s rotation. The pavilion’s opening during the June 8th start to the Helsinki Biennial means that it will be on view in time for this month’s upcoming solstice.

Olafur Eliasson, Long daylight pavilion, 2025, installation view: Kruunuvuorenranta, Helsinki, Finland. photo: HAM / Maija Toivanen. commissioned by: City of Helsinki

Light as a Tool for Navigation

While the Long daylight pavilion is tied to a specific moment in the year, it is designed by Olafur Eliasson to transform across time and conditions. After dark, integrated lanterns emit a constellation of light through diamond-shaped openings near the top of each pole. These apertures widen incrementally, culminating in concentrated beams that form a luminous, angled ring.

Seen from a distance, especially from the direction of Central Helsinki, the pavilion presents as a beacon. Its visual orientation toward the city allows it to act as a marker on the horizon. ‘I hope that it will rapidly become an attractive destination for residents of the neighbourhood, connecting them to the world by gesturing to the path of the sun at this location,’ says Olafur Eliasson. ‘And for those viewing it from the city as a bright light across the water, I hope that it offers a point of orientation on their horizon.’

Olafur Eliasson, Long daylight pavilion, 2025, installation view: Kruunuvuorenranta, Helsinki, Finland. photo: HAM / Maija Toivanen. commissioned by: City of Helsinki

‘viewing machine’ arrives to Vallisaari Island

Also installed for the Helsinki Biennial, Viewing Machine (2001) invites visitors to engage with Vallisaari Island through a faceted lens. The hexagonal structure operates like a functional kaleidoscope, with angled mirrors that fragment and reflect whatever lies in view. Unlike Long daylight pavilion, which anchors perception in celestial alignment, Viewing Machine offers a shifting, participant-driven perspective. By rotating the device and selecting their own vantage point, viewers experience a layered visual field shaped by both the geometry of the object and the motion of their gaze.

Olafur Eliasson at the Long daylight pavilion inauguration | image courtesy Embassy of Iceland in Helsinki

Kruunuvuorenranta is being shaped into Helsinki’s district of light art, and the addition of Long daylight pavilion establishes a focal point along the shoreline. The installation complements the area’s transformation from former oil depot into a residential zone with a growing network of cultural interventions.

Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure, Paavo Arhinmäki, describes a personal connection to the piece: ‘I’ve been watching the work take shape by the shore during my morning commute and have already gone to admire it after dark.’ His remarks reinforce the idea that Eliasson’s work is intended to function not only as public art but as an accessible and monumental part of daily life.

Olafur Eliasson, Viewing Machine, 2001/2003, image courtesy Studio Olafur Eliasson