What if a river could understand you? What would you say to it?
Do you have a special memory or moment connected to the river?
Uoma, Iijokeni is an installation created by KulttuuriKauppila’s resident artists that
invites audience participation. The outlines of the riverbed formed from pattern paper
invite visitors to walk through the installation and take a moment to look at the river.
At least when it’s light out. The working group invites visitors to observe Iijoki and
reflect on their own relationship with the river. You can write or draw your own
experiences, memories, or insights on the installation.
The exhibition is part of a larger project: a site-specific Uoma dance performance
and video artwork taking place along rivers, with performances coming in summer
2026. The installation is an artistic way of collecting people’s memories of rivers. The
choreography of the piece is created in dialogue with the rivers, river memories,
costumes, and movement. Uoma is rehearsed and performed along Iijoki, where
encounters between the place and the people and other beings are a central part of
the process. The work is exceptionally open to the public even before its completion,
throughout the entire rehearsal period. Uoma gives a voice to the river.
The core working group of Uoma is led by performance artist Maria Laitila, dance
artist Henna-Maria Hanhineva, and costume designer Riikka Mäntymaa.
You can also send your river memories (texts, images, sounds) to the working group
at: uoma.performance@gmail.com or on Instagram @uoma____
Photo: Jaani Föhr Photography