The Serlachius Project

The "Serlachius Project" is an artistic exploration of the environment and history of Mänttä, a small town in Finland closely linked to the Serlachius family and its woodworking company. This photographic work attempts to connect different actors and time periods in an artistic and playful way. It combines fragments of archival materials from the Serlachius Museum's collection with current photographs of the local landscape and phytograms. The phytograms involve plants and other natural materials, including unseen microorganisms collected on site and captured using photochemical processes. The landscape and nature itself becomes a direct carrier of memories, along with its living beings — human and non-human actors who are much older, and who, in some cases, may actually be witnesses of past times. Ultimately, different compositions, combinations, and overlays are created, evoking new visual connections and stories. It is a play of retaining and losing, searching and finding, oblivion, and remembering.