Student artwork symbolises the Unite! Alliance

The work was unveiled during the opening ceremony of the XII Aalto Unite! Dialogue and has drawn praise for its concept and artistry.

Blooming Beyond Borders is a celebration of identity, connection, and collaboration within the Unite! University Alliance. The work consists of nine individual canvases, each depicting the national flower of a Unite! university. Green vines weave across the nine canvases, symbolising interconnectedness and continuous growth, which are core ideas at the heart of the Unite! alliance.

The unveiling was a memorable moment of the Dialogue’s opening ceremony, when the artist was interviewed before an audience of more than 300 attendees about her inspiration and process. 

Sine shared some of her thinking behind the work:

“Collaboration for me is not only between people, but also in the world around us. Nature embodies that idea. Each plant brings its own uniqueness and complements the other to create a flourishing ecosystem. That’s the kind of harmony I wanted to reflect.”

Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä, who served on the jury alongside Petri Suomala and Outi Turpeinen, praised the piece for its homage to botanical textbooks and noted that it marks a departure from other works displayed in the building. 

The initial call for students to create a piece to represent Unite! attracted several high-quality proposals, making the jury’s final decision challenging. Honourable mentions were awarded to Gabriella Presnal and Totti Lindemark, whose concepts also deeply resonated with the jury.

Blooming Beyond Borders (120 × 240 cm, acrylic on canvas) is now on permanent display in the hallway of the Y Wing of the Undergraduate Centre. Aaltonians are encouraged to visit the piece in person.

See the video about Sine’s process here:

The nine Unite! Universities and their national flowers

• Aalto University (Finland) – Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

• Grenoble INP – UGA (France) – Iris (Iris germanica)

• KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) – Twinflower (Linnaea borealis)

• Politecnico di Torino (Italy) – Lily (Lilium)

• Technical University of Darmstadt (Germany) – Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

• Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain) – Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)

• Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal) – Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)

• Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Poland) – Red Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

• TU Graz (Austria) – Edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale)