For your enjoyment, press play on the soundcloud widget below. (It is a cover of an Elvis song. Not the same one this post is named after…)
Right in the middle of the bustling metropolis that is Helsinki (if you’ve been, you know that is sort of a joke…) is the Chapel of Silence or Kamppi Chapel. This tiny little gem is so small that it is difficult to photograph, but I’ll share what I have.
Though I am not quite sure how it was constructed (and do not have time to research it), I would venture a guess that the wood volume is covered in lapped strips of wood (as a ship might be).
The interior is a fantastic egg-shaped space that earns its name by being so insulated from the city that you could hear a pin drop (or a Finnish proverb of similar meaning). I crouched and squirmed to get the right angle of the interior, but this is all I could manage:
Not great, right?
Well forget about that. It is one of those, “You gotta be there,” spaces. Instead, check out these detail shots.
Beautiful day-lighting and carefully crafted electric lighting illuminate the space. Light washes down the smooth wood walls that are the material equivalent (in my mind) of an unfinished butcher block. Said butcher block is cleverly revealed in the doorway:
Short post this time. A longer one is on the way (whether you like it or not!).
No crying took place during the visit to this chapel…
OH! 