The winner was decided in an open art competition.
The city of Lappeenranta organized an art competition, the goal of which was to come up with a memorial work in honor of Pave Maijanen, a musician from Lappeenranta who passed away in January of last year. Won the competition Harri Ahonen with his work On.
In 2012, Pave Maijasen was awarded the Iskelmä-Finlandia award. Pasi Liesimaa/IL
The work will be placed in the Rantapuisto next to the harbor of Lappeenranta. The goal is for it to be completed in 2023.
In the proposal that won the competition, a guitar case forgotten in the park is symbolically left as a legacy for future generations. According to the award committee’s view, the idea showed everydayness, but at the same time also much-needed glamor and warmth.
Harri Ahonen’s piece entitled Lavalla won the competition organized by the city of Lappeenranta. Harri Ahonen
– On is a fresh and original proposal that has not stood still, but is active, just like Maijane. The guitar case in the proposal is concretely personal. Pave lived his life with it and went from gig to gig during his long career, a member of the award committee Maarit Pimi commented in the announcement of the city of Lappeenranta.
In its review, the award committee considered the work to be of high artistic quality as well.
Maijanen suffered from ALS for many years. Minna Raitavuo
– The work is realized with traditional sculpture materials, but at the same time it is fun and realized with a twinkle in the corner of the eye. The light solution of the proposal brings a mystical atmosphere, and it arouses emotions, curiosity and thoughts, as art should do. The proposal is a well-thought-out entity, Pimiä says in the press release.
Maijanen suffered from ALS for many years. The first symptoms started in the fall of 2018. At that time, the musician said he suffered from muscle cramps, among other things.
– Even at Oilers ice, the guys asked, “What’s up, Pahvi?”, and problems started to appear in speech as well. The tests started in the winter, and the diagnosis was blunt: severe motor neuron disease ALS, Maijanen said in an interview at the time.
In addition to singing, the master musician mastered many instruments. During his career, he also worked as a bassist, keyboardist, drummer, guitarist and producer.