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"When you reach my age, you can look back and say, Oh boy I remember that, I saw that, I heard that, I was there." Roni, 91

Interweave

Video work, Forum Box, Helsinki 2018
In this video piece elderly people from a senior house in Greenwich Village, New York, share unforgettable memories and stories of their past. They deal with survival, immigration, a secret atomic city, miracles. These valuable individual stories get lost so very easily, taking with them a piece of our common history – history that is so often repeating itself.

The work explores memory and remembering. Which memories are the most essential ones that we choose to pass on to the next generation – what will remain? Our hopes and fears, personal values and habits are all influenced by the memories of our past. Each of us is also a stitch in the chain of our family and our era, carrying the heritage in both good and bad.

The time and mind are seaving, filtering and interweaving the past life. Maybe it's the most remarkable memories that remain, the ones that also crystallize and bring forth our own personal way of looking at and experiencing life – a different and valuable way for each of us.

Filming and editing Anne Siirtola
Sound design Pelle Venetjoki
Color sampling Veli Granö
Thank you: The Arts Council of Finland, Oskar Öflund Foundation, AVEK and VISEK.
Me with participants in the senior house