Outdoor destinations
Search for destination, route or locationThe search starts automatically when at least two characters are entered. Navigate to the search results using the up or down arrow keys.
The exhibition "Meän vapaa Ounas – joki puhuu meissä" (The River Speaks Within Us) by Timo Jokela, Timo Haanpää and Mirja Hiltunen will be on display at the Fell Lapland Visitor Centre from 31 July to 25 September 2026. Free entrance. Welcome!
"Our work is based on the Meän vapaa Ounas - memorial artwork, unveiled in the village of Köngäs in Kittilä in 2024. Created through a collaborative community process, the public sculpture is a portrait of both the river and the village. It makes visible the villagers’ relationship with the river, a central element of their ecoculture. The river has shaped the life of the village and the culture of the region. For local residents, recalling and sharing memories of the river has been a process of strengthening identity, which in turn enhances their capacity to respond to change.
The creation of the artwork together with the villagers was linked to commemorating the protection of the Ounasjoki River, while also expressing concern about the potential impacts of large-scale mining activities planned within the watershed.
Villagers participated in the creation of the artwork in many ways: by sharing stories, contributing their skills to its implementation, and celebrating the completed work. The materials, visual elements, and the historical photographs, objects, and texts incorporated into the artwork all reflect the ecoculture of the river valley and the co-formation of the village and its people alongside the river.
The creation and unveiling of the artwork were accompanied by community activities that highlighted the significance of the river for new generations and new residents of the village. The process also resulted in a 15-minute video artwork in which the river “narrates” its shared history with the villagers, making it possible to present the project beyond the village in exhibition spaces and digital environments.
The audiovisual and material installation presented here is an independent work of art. In it, we have combined a community-based process and contemporary artistic forms of expression into a format suited to the exhibition space."
Artists Timo Jokela, Timo Haanpää and Mirja Hiltunen
More information about the exhibition: timo.jokela(at)ulapland.fi
