Jan-Erik Andersson: Secret of the Rainbow

Jan-Erik Andersson: Secret of the Rainbow

  • 2007 (light poles 2002)
  • steel, concrete, saturated wood, cable, metal tube, painting
  • Biolaakso, Biolinja

Sateenkaaren salaisuus (Secret of the Rainbow) is an environmental artwork by Jan-Erik Andersson (b.1954) in Biolaakso (Bio Valley) in Turku. The work is composed of two pedestrian bridges and 24 rainbow coloured light poles.

One of the bridges is decorated with an enormous heart and the other one with a huge shovel used to dig out the “secret of the rainbow” from the field. There are silhouettes of scientists juggling with parts of cellular biology on top of the light poles. This work of art reminds us that the treasure at the end of a rainbow can be love as well as a scientist’s discovery about the secrets of DNA.

This piece of applied art by Andersson is a part of the Bio Valley area designed by landscape architect Ria Ruokonen. The technical specialist on the project was engineer Launo Laatikainen. The artwork was completed and unveiled on 14 September 2007. The light poles were made in 2002.