Olek Covers a Finnish House With Pink Yarn to Symbolize Those Forced to Flee Their Homes

A photo posted by olek (@oleknyc) on Aug 25, 2016 at 7:47am PDT

In order to bring attention to the more than 21 million people who were forced to flee from their homes for various reasons, prolific yarn bomber Olek covered the exterior of a small home in Kerava, Finland with bright pink crocheted yarn designs. The house once belonged to Karl Jacob Svensk, a man who fled his home with his family during the Winter War, but returned once it was safe to do so.

During the Winter War 1939-1940, the family fled to evade bombs falling into the yard, but they didn’t have to move out permanently. In 2015, more than 21 million people were forced to leave their homes in order to flee from conflicts. The pink house, our pink house is a symbol of a bright future filled with hope…

Olek and her team covered two houses in pink yarn, one in Kerava and the other, in Avesta, Sweden, which she “exploded”.

To those who are confused. Yes, we crocheted TWO houses!! First one in #Avesta #Sweden ( pic here) and another one in #Kerava #Finland #ourpinkhouse We live in challenging times, a changing world filled with conflict, wars and natural disasters.But I like to think that it’s also a world filled with love. Our pink house is about the journey, not just about the artwork itself. …When I first came to Avesta to install a work of art at the Verket museum, I had originally intended to recreate a traditional home. And I did. However, when the Syrian and Ukrainian refugees who helped me install my piece started telling me the candid stories of their recent experiences and horrors of their home countries, I decided to blow up my crocheted house to illustrate the current unfortunate situation worldwide where hundred of thousands of people are displaced. After I exploded the house I wanted to create a positive ending for them as a symbol of a brighter future for all people, especially the ones who have been displaced against their own wills.