Sanginsuu Village, Kiekonlenkki hiking trail

1. Pet Cemetery

The audio work starts at the pet cemetery. Find a comfortable spot or take a walk along the paths in the cemetery and let the voice-over guide you.

Why do some animals have names, a grave and a place in our hearts, while others are completely forgotten? Who do we call a friend, and who do we call a foe? The soundscape invites you to reflect on these questions and think about how the boundaries of remembering and forgetting shape our understanding of the world.

You can listen to the work with headphones in the cemetery and along the trail, and you can download it to your phone.

PET CEMETERY, audio work, 33 minutes, Felicia Honkasalo (2025)

2. River Dragon

This ‘ancient relic’ was found in the forest and named River Dragon by the pupils at Sanginsuu School. The children brought the dragon to life through colours and stories in a workshop led by community artist Pia Hentunen. They worked on the wooden sculpture, which was carved with a chainsaw by Aimo Laitinen.

RIVER DRAGON, wooden sculpture, Aimo Laitinen (2020); paintings by Sanginsuu school children with artist Pia Hentunen (2023)

3. Longing

Messages of love and longing for deceased pets are preserved in the marbles of the sculpture. Artist Pia Hentunen talks about her work: “My art often deals with the communication and connection between different species. Pets are hugely important to people. Also the wild animals in our environment give meaning to people’s everyday lives. This cross-species love is visible in the pet cemetery and has also inspired the content of my work.” These messages were collected and preserved during the workshops with volunteers.

LONGING, sculpture, Pia Hentunen, stainless steel, Yakisugi-treated wood, steel wire, marbles and luminescent pigment (2025)

4. Is anybody home?

Gigantic cones with small holes are suspended between trees and rest on stones, resembling the nests of some unknown creature. Is this a hopeful fantasy about what people’s dwellings and relationship with nature might be like in the future – or are the structures inhabited by a species that comes after humans?

The cones serve as a reminder to visitors of a seed extraction plant that used to be located in the area and offered jobs to young people in the community.

The sculptures are made of spruce and aspen logs and comprise about a thousand hand-carved aspen scales. Local people were invited to participate in carving the aspen scales.

IS ANYBODY HOME?, installation, Macu Makkonen and Jesse Kitinoja, spruce and aspen, natural stone (2025)

5. Spirit of the Forest

Visitors walking along the path in the middle of the forest will come across some wooden eggs. It is the giant nest of an unknown animal. Some eggs are ready to hatch. We may have stepped into a prehistoric period, or another world entirely. What animal or creature might hatch from these eggs?

The eggs are in different sizes, with the largest having a diameter of 1,4 metres. The nest is made of roots and branches of various sizes collected from the surrounding area.

SPIRIT OF THE FOREST, environmental art, François Blosseville, wood, branches, metal frames (2025)

6. Rapids Pilot

Jussi Ruusulampi’s sculpture depicts a figure navigating rapids in a tar boat. The Port of Oulu used to be one of the largest tar exporters in the world. Most of the tar was produced in Kainuu, from where it was transported westward along rivers to be sold in Oulu. Local rivermen, or rapids pilots, were hired to guide the boats through the treacherous sections of the rapids. The sculpture is made of scrap metal: the boat from an old aluminium water tank and the tar drums from oil drums. The frame for the figure is constructed from an iron tube. The piece has been welded and screwed together. The surfaces have been covered with a roofing sheet and painted with spray paint.

RAPIDS PILOT, sculpture, Jussi Ruusulampi, scrap metal, spray paint (2025)