The Silent People also feel comfortable in Image Wear clothes

Our Development and Sustainability Director, Kati, stopped by during her autumn break to greet the Silent People. The Silent People are a group of peat and hay-headed characters along Viitostie (Highway 5), about 30 km from the centre of Suomussalmi towards Kuusamo. Standing in the bright autumn sun, the group of a thousand figures tempted passersby to stop and take a closer look at the figures.

A smile spread across Kati's face when she took a closer look at the straw-headed figures' clothes. There were professionals from several fields in familiar work clothes. "The characters wore Posti T-shirts and caps as well as work clothes from the time of Laitosto. At first, it seemed like there were only a few pieces of workwear. But the further you walked, the more familiar clothes you found," says Kati. Because Kati also considers extending the lifespan of workwear as part of her job, she says with a laugh: "Well, this is also a great way to extend the lifespan of work clothes."

The silent people have been standing in the Käpylä field since the summer of 1994. The straw-headed and stick-bodied figures were first built in 1988 for Reijo Kela's Ilmarin Kynnös performance on Karhulanvaara straight. In 1990, the characters were re-established when Ilmari Kynnös was recorded for television. The straw heads have even been to the "big church". 700 figures stood on the steps of the Cathedral when the Kainuu region introduced itself at Senate Square in Helsinki.