Sculpture “Anchor”
In July 2025, an almost three-metre-high golden metal sculpture was inaugurated in front of the Hyatt Place Hotel at Sadama 4 in Tallinn. Custom-designed for the location by Kalle Pruuden and executed by HN Steel, Anchor signifies stability and security – the qualities that a crew on a sea voyage seeks when lowering anchor and likewise the feeling that a visitor to Tallinn wants from their hotel experience.
An anchor is a powerful symbol. Lowered to the seabed where it digs into the sediment, it helps to counteract wind and current and keeps the ship fixed to a position. It offers a respite and a break so that the journey can be resumed at an opportune time. As in the nautical realm, an anchor is also a tool in other walks of life, including construction, used to stay on course and, in the long run, make progress toward a goal or destination.
Sculptor Kalle Pruuden reflected on the new work: “As a sculptor, I always deal with conveying the underpinning concept in terms of a form, trying to find an exciting interpretation and a distinctive angle in the way the work is created and displayed. In this location, an anchor might communicate a message about the significance of anchoring, offer aesthetic enjoyment and invite passersby to ask: why this particular artwork and why precisely here? For the building owner, the work might recall the achievement brought about through planning, construction and commissioning of the building complex. The work’s composition suggests that the anchor was cast from above on the deck – in this case, from the roof, with an imaginary anchor chain connecting it.״
Anchor is the latest addition to the lineup of artworks that Merko has installed in Tallinn to enrich the public space for the use of townspeople and visitors. For example, at Noblessner port complex, a Merko-supported metal and lighting art installation called Nest and the golden Lessner’s Propeller, a number of Heigo Jelle sculptures and Edith Karlson’s giant dinosaur can all be viewed. At Uus-Veerenni, a group of sculptures by Jass Kaselaan called Toys and Heigo Jelle’s sculptures can be seen, while Kalle Pruuden’s Cat-Tail welcomes people arriving at Lahekalda residentialdistrict.
This is one project out of many where Merko and the company’s shareholders have made a contribution to society.
- Beginning of the project:
- 2025
- End of the project:
- 2025