Godparenting the Heritage of Modern Sculpture

The sculpture ‘Upstream Waters’ created by artist Eero Hiironen, first erected in 1983, combines a large steel structure (7m high, 5T) with a built water element. Along the years, the location became dated and as the keeping of the sculpture was ignored, the value of the art piece was jeopardised. As multiple funding applications for the move of the sculpture were rejected, the owner of the sculpture (local cultural heritage association, private/third sector) and the city joined forces to secure its future. Due to the size and structure of the art piece the move was expensive, but active negotiations with enterprises, associations and private persons, helped to achieve the sculpture’s move to a more central location. The adjacent ‘Water Trail’ leads to see all Hiironen’s sculptures in the municipality centre with QR-code signs for information online.
A key part of the move was the agreement on godparenting practice between the local heritage association and the city: the city lets the land area for the sculpture on very agreeable terms, covers for its insurance expenses and acts as the godparent every third year. The cultural heritage association calls for other godparents for the gap years. The godparent(s) is asked to fund the annual maintenance costs of the sculpture, including technics of the water element and lighting, for one year at a time. The ‘godparenthood’ can also be shared among several parties. In return, godparents are offered eg. customised cultural services.