Artists Selected for Splash-Guard Panels at Arboretum, Härmälä and Rantaperkiö Tram Stops

Three artists have been chosen to create digital-printed splash-guard panels for the Arboretum, Härmälä and Rantaperkiö tram stops on the line extensions from Sorin aukio toward Partola and from Kauppi campus toward Ruotula. The selection follows the earlier call for art at the three stops. Sketches are due in spring 2027, and finished works will be installed before the new section opens in 2028.

The Ratikan taide programme's working committee chose Aino Louhi, the duo Sanna Kannisto and Juha Nenonen, and Taija Goldblatt, favouring distinct artistic approaches and an ability to interpret local history. Transport manager Antti Haukka said the artists also showed readiness to design the splash-guard panels as coherent series.

Panels will be produced as digital prints based on drawings, paintings or photographs, the same technique used for artworks at the Hippos and Uintikeskus stops in 2021.

Louhi and Goldblatt are Tampere-based artists who work in illustration, comics, video, animation and drawing. Kannisto and Nenonen come from the Helsinki region and bring international photography and graphic design experience.

The commission gives the artists a chance to bring local stories into the everyday cityscape. Louhi called it an honour and a long-held dream to influence Tampere’s urban image. Goldblatt said she was particularly inspired by the Arboretum. Kannisto and Nenonen plan to study industrial-era photo archives to weave memories and impressions of the past into visible elements of the contemporary streetscape.

The tram expansion is being built in phases, and Ratikan taide will grow alongside it. The second construction phase, from Partola to Suuppa and from Ruotula to Linnainmaa, depends on confirmation of state funding, Tampereen Raitiotie Oy says. Tampereen Raitiotie Oy manages the art programme, which to date has involved 94 artists and 74 completed projects; Frei Zimmer Oy coordinates implementation.