President Tarja Halonen is sitting at the bottom of the stairs in the street and leaning against a wall, which is smudged with spray paint. Her face looks sad and serious, and she’s staring into the emptiness. Her clothes look dirty. The two bags next to her seem to carry all her belongings.
With the picture, taken for an ad campaign for the Finnish Salvation Army, Halonen wants to remind us that “bad luck can befall anyone.” This is also the theme for the salvation army’s campaign and collection, which aims to remind us that anyone’s luck can turn around due to a number of reasons. An accident, sickness, unemployment, assault, or sudden death of a relative—these are all reasons that could spark a chain reaction that destroys one’s whole life.
“It’s important to help a fellow human being in need. This is humanitarian work in our daily lives,” Halonen said in a bulletin.
The picture was taken somewhere in Helsinki’s Kallio district, near the neighborhood where President Halonen lives. The picture combines several elements, and it was taken in a closed area, away from curious eyes, wondering about the homeless lady’s resemblance to our former president.
