Kiitos Martti.
An evolving memorial for a beloved peacemaker
President Ahtisaari was once asked what kind of memorial he would like to be made of himself once he passes. After thinking for a while, he answered that a suitable symbol could be a perpetual motion machine, which would reflect the constant need to strive towards peace.
President Ahtisaari was respected and liked not only as a statesman and diplomat, but also simply as Martti. This resulted in an idea of a living memorial that would grow in magnitude through people's participation - a constantly updated digital installation, the building blocks of which would be the memories and stories shared by people.
Sculpted from memories
A digital statue of President Ahtisaari was built from the memories collected through the online platform, which was constantly updated with new stories. The background system generates typographic textures from the entered texts, which were automatically planted on top of the constructed 3D model. During its exhibition, more than 8,000 unique textures were produced for the work.
The work got its rightful place on the big screen of the Music Hall, opposite the parliament building - reminding decision-makers and passers-by of the importance of peace mediation. The piece was on display until the state funeral of President Ahtisaari. Kiitos Martti is at the same time both a tribute to President Ahtisaari's life's work and his personality - basically, he was the Martti of the whole nation.
At the same time, Finns were urged to share their own memories of the beloved president and to ensure with donations that his life's work for peace would continue. The message was also supported in social media and in CMI's policy, as well as in the channels of partners active in the business world, so that companies and communities were also involved in the important work.
Technical solution
Upon submission, memories of Martti are organised within a database. A custom-made system automatically generates and archives hundreds of typographic textures which are plotted over a 3D modelled sculpture of the president. A complete sculpture is made out of 224 unique stripe textures, each of which is created from 10-15 quotes.
During the tribute campaign, over 8000 unique textures have been generated, dynamically evolving the digital sculpture with every incoming submission. Final Musikkitalo video artefact was created using an automated 3D software setup with preset cameras, and rendered at least once a day.
Reception
The installation not only stopped the passers-by for a moment, but also made people reminiscence the late president Ahtisaari in droves. Among the stories were memories of encounters on the shore of Töölönlahti, as well as thanks from embassies and organizations with which President Ahtisaari had built peace in the world. In total, memories were shared from dozens of countries.
In addition to sharing stories, people, companies and communities also made significant donations to the Peace Fund, giving strength to other fundraising efforts as well. With the accumulated donations, Martti Ahtisaari's legacy and the future of Finnish peace mediation are on a slightly more stable footing: a lot of work still needs to be done, but in the words of President Ahtisaari, peace is a matter of will.