Photo exhibition; For Our Beloved University!

The university is its people – as one of those photographed for this exhibition pointed out.

This year, the 370th anniversary of the University of Helsinki is celebrated. The university’s history dates back to the establishment of the Royal Academy of Turku in 1640. The photo exhibition portraying university employees is one of our many ways of celebrating this special year.

The exhibition also marks an important milestone in photographer Veikko Somerpuro’s career. Veikko Somerpuro has taken pictures of the university and its people for over ten years now. The exhibition includes images from over the years, but most of the pictures were taken in 2010 especially for this occasion. Somerpuro photographed people and events on all campuses.

The name first proposed for this exhibition – For Our Beloved University! – was chosen as its official title. It may sound slightly sentimental, but it was easy to find people who are proud of the university and devoted to their work. They were asked to think of work-related situations, moments or places where they were proud of their jobs and felt the sweet joy of success. Some had shown their dedication by giving everything – or even too much – to their work. The university and the recent reforms also aroused criticism. One of the pictures takes us to the grave of the Humboldtian educational ideals, but these critical tones also reflect commitment and passion.

This exhibition, which is free of charge will be on tour the different university campuses as follows:

City Campus, 7–24 September, Main Building, basement, Fabianinkatu 33
Meilahti Campus 4–15 October, Biomedicum, vestibule, Haartmaninkatu 8
Kumpula Campus 22 October- 19 November, Physicum, vestibule, Gustaf Hällströminkatu 2 a
Viikki Campus 1–27 December, Biocenter 3, lecture hall 2402, Viikinkaari 1

This exhibition was produced by Helsinki University Communications.

Welcome!

Text: University of Helsinki
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro