Nets of Memory, Remains of Time
Article categories: Museums & Folklore
Art Exhibition in Rahkola
WHAT IS LEFT IN THE TEMPLE OF MEMORY
Project by artist duo Hasaj-Gelain
Since 2025, artists Bekim Hasaj and Valentina Gelain have investigated themes related to memory and time, taking disused or abandoned dwellings and places as their starting point and inspiration. Their research has focused primarily on private, intimate settings, such as centuries-old farmhouses in the Ostrobothnian countryside.
However, the artists were also interested in exploring and including common and shared spaces within the project, exploring contexts that are seemingly contrasting, yet actually complementary to investigate and represent these dynamics and phenomena. It is from this drive that the project ‘What is Left in the Temple of Memory’ bridges the city and intertwines with the Rahkola area, its history, memories, and echoes.
With the site-responsive exhibition ‘Net of Memory, Remains of Time’, Hasaj and Gelain had the honor of attempting to do just this, setting their interventions right in the heart of the former metal factory.
Through experimental installations, poetry, and memories from the local community, they found points of connection and narrative through a dreamlike and evocative lens.
The sound works were created in collaboration with Stefan Backas, and the narrator of the poem is Melinda Maris. One of the sound works is based on interviews conducted with local people.
The artwork of the same name, part of the exhibition and the first piece to greet visitors, will subsequently be displayed in the outdoor courtyard as a temporary public installation, accompanying the transition phase as the area is renovated and prepared for a new chapter.
The project is supported by the City of Vaasa, Etelä-Pohjanmaan rahasto and Bröderna Gröndahls Stiftelse.
Thank you for the cooperation and valuable contribution to YIT Oyj, Vaasa Museums, Maritime Museum of Vaasa, Vaasa Museum of Labour, Allmoge Byggnadsvård, Granösund Museum, and the local community involved.
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You are warmly invited to the opening of the exhibition ‘Net of Memory, Remains of Time’ on Friday, October 23rd from 5 PM at the former Rahkola metal factory.
The opening will feature an introductory speech, and drinks and refreshments will be served. Signs will be posted on-site to guide you, welcome!
More information: www.blackboxgenesis.com
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Image courtesy of the Vaasa Museum of Labour.