The monumental public artwork Homage to Flowing Waters by sculptor Minna Kangasmaa was completed on the facade of Kiiminkipuisto School new building in December 2020. The subtly undulating surface of the work is different each time it is viewed - it's like flowing water, constantly changing.
The themes of the work stem from locality. The work is a gentle and multifaceted praise for the northern geographical features of Kiiminki and its wildlife. As an inspirer has been especially Kiiminkijoki (Kiiminki River) with its numerous natural rapids, the most notable of which is Koitelinkoski. The Kiiminkijoki also receives water from the Hepoköngäs waterfall, one of the largest wild waterfalls in Finland. Due to the river high humus content, its naturally brown-watered. The unbranded Kiiminkijoki is unique in Europe in its natural state. In addition to the flowing and fluttering water and the swirls of the rapids, the work also includes references to endangered migratory fish eels and sea trout rising from the sea to Kiiminkijoki. Free flowing Kiiminkijoki is very important site because many of the Finland’s migratory fish species are on the verge of extinction; they are prevented from swimming upstream to their spawning grounds. Their journey upstream and the subsequent spawning is often blocked by man-made structures. Kiimikijoki as natural stream channel will allow them and other aquatic life free passage in the flowing waters.
Minna Kangasmaa's work is designed and implemented with environmental awareness and recycling ideology. The implementation of the artwork is also in line with the school’s interoperability construction. The new building of the Kiiminkipuisto school is in the center of Kiiminki on the campus area formed by the high school and the library.