Mäen päällä, puiden yllä
Mäen päällä, puiden yllä (On the top of the hill above the trees) is a site-specific sound installation, located in the spiral staircase of the 75 meter tall Puijo tower in Kuopio, Finland.
Metsäpelto placed contact microphones on various parts of the tower, capturing the hidden noise within its structure as it reacts to high winds, the sounds of its machinery such as the gear mechanism (among the world's largest) that has made the tower's 360° panorama restaurant rotate since 1963, and passing radio waves. A few specific parts of the tower turned out to be like sonic windows to the inner sound world of the whole tower, as they seemed to resonate simultaneously with sounds originating from the ground level as well as the very top.
A sound work was composed of the recorded material and it is exhibited as a sound installation through six speakers in the tower's staircase, where it merges with the acoustic reverb and resonant tones of its structure.
Six speakers, LED-lights, mixer, media player, 16 min loop
Location: Puijo tower, Kuopio, Finland (10.10.-1.11.2025)
Supported by: City of Kuopio
Photos: Courtesy of the artist