The Coal Organ, 2026, Helsinki Central Library Oodi. Photo credit: Harri Sihvola
The Coal Organ, 2026, as a part of a group exhibition at KUMMA, Kuopio, Finland
THE COAL ORGAN, 2026
A sound sculpture
3 mono channels, 60 x 60 cm plywood boards, prints, customized stands, media player, constantly changing loop
The Coal Organ is a sound sculpture focusing on the single largest contributor to climate change, coal burning. Jaakko was granted access to the now defunct Salmisaari power station in Helsinki during its final days of operation to record the sounds of its machinery and the ambiences of its massive underground coal silos that reach the depth of 120+ meters below sea level, the deepest point of the city of Helsinki.
The work consists of a three channel sound work that was crafted of the recorded material, resulting in a constantly evolving texture rich soundscape. For its visual counterpart, Jaakko edited scanning electron microscopy images of particles emitted from a coal fired power plant into a series of three abstract pieces, which were printed onto plywood boards with customized speaker mounts.
Thanks dr. hab Wanda Wilczynska-Michalik and prof. dr. Marek Michalik for lending the original SEM images for the work and the Finnish Cultural Foundation for their kind support.
Photos from the power plant recording. Photo credit: Juuso Martikainen