Jarkko Roth, The Power of Knowledge, 1998

In 1998, Jarkko Roth’s sculpture The Power of Knowledge was erected in the courtyard of the City Library (Vilhonkatu 2). Jarkko Roth did not want to name his work himself; instead, he wanted the users of the library to suggest names for it. The stone sculptures interested people, and the library received several suggestions. The naming competition was organised in cooperation with the editorial office of a local newspaper in free distribution, which has since been discontinued. From among the library users’ suggestions, the local newspaper chose six names that were voted on by the public. The winner was The Power of Knowledge. The sculptor was also pleased with the new name, which refers to the Seven Brothers by Alexis Kivi. After all, in Kivi’s book, having a strong will takes a man through grey stone. The sculpture in front of the library reminds us how knowledge enriches life. The three stones of The Power of Knowledge are placed on grey granite pillars. The vertical black stone is diorite and the red one is granite. The white block is limestone.