Never again – empirical light art installation brings the wartime generation in front of us

Yle's and the City of Helsinki's cooperation project, the light art installation Sukupolvi. Nyt., which opens on 5 December in the park of the Töölönlahti Bay, is a walk through one generation: the generation of those who fought in World War II, those who survived and those who were killed there.

"The premise for this installation was the personal reflection that it has been difficult to comprehend the dimensions of the generation that was at the front, and how hundreds of thousands of experiences have affected Finland. I wanted to create an installation, where the walker can physically and in practice sense what we talk about when we talk about the extent and magnitude of the wartime generation", says scriptwriter and director of the installation Raimo Lång of Yle.

The installation is a tribute to the generation that lived during the war, but at the same time it is also a concrete experience of this moment for those to whom war is just a memory in the history of the family and Finland. The names seen in the installation have been collected, among other sources, from sotapolku.fi and registers.

The installation touches many people living in Finland concretely even today. People who experienced the war are still alive, the following generations carry the consequences of the things experienced by their mothers and fathers. To many refugees in Finland, war is a reality at this very moment.

President Niinistö patron of the installation

The Sukupolvi. Nyt. installation is realised in cooperation between Yle and the City of Helsinki and it is located in the park of the Töölönlahti Bay, behind the Finlandia Hall.

"Bringing light art inspired by independence to the centre of the city for the citizens to experience is a fine and impactful way of celebrating the independence of Finland", says Helsinki Mayor Jan Vapaavuori.

"During the construction of the installation, both my appreciation and my sorrow have grown. I am thankful of how that whole generation supported this country and all of us", says Raimo Lång.

"At the same time, the sorrow concerning the losses of that generation has grown. How would our lives have turned out, if the previous generation would have been able to live a regular life, without war? No one can afford an experience like this. I hope that when the walker has passed through the installation, he or she feels calm but emotionally dazed. And that this experience gives something lasting."

The patron of the installation is the President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö.

The Sukupolvi. Nyt. light art installation opens to the public on the eve of Independence Day, 5 December at 3.30 pm. The installation is inaugurated by photographer Meeri Koutaniemi, film director Aku Louhimies and scriptwriter and director of the installation Raimo Lång.

The installation is open daily from 4 pm to 9 pm (closed 24–25 December) until 5 January and 6–10 January from 4 pm to 10 pm.

Sukupolvi. Nyt. will also be seen on TV on 6 December, when a list of names, long as the wartime generation, slowly scrolls through the TV screen for five hours during the night.

"Even though the installation is located in Helsinki, it has been constructed for all the people of Finland. That is why Yle wants to bring the contents of the installation to the TV as well, to make it reachable to everyone", says Raimo Lång.

Sukupolvi. Nyt. on TV1 on 6 December from 1.20 am to 7.00 am and Yle Areena on 5 December 4 pm forward.

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