Residency artists and researchers Multidisciplinary art Group of 8 Artists At Saari, we will begin the preparatory work on LINNA: Island of Sorrows, which was born through discussion and artistic exchange during our time in residence at the Saari Residence in 2016. This large-scale, multifaceted experiential art event will comprise multiple concurrent component projects. LINNA explores Suomenlinna as a physical and metaphorical space that has colonised and been colonised, in which the colonisers (Sweden, Russia) have established their hegemony, and where the colonised (i.e. prisoners, dissidents, etc.) have been imprisoned. Thus, we explore the line between public/private, past/future, inside/outside and the place we occupy on this continuum. The project is our memorial to the victims of strife past and present, and our vision for humanity’s unified future. The core team (Serena Chalker, Alexis Diamond, Marjukka Erälinna, with Ana Mejia Macmaster and Hilja Roivainen) will use the Saari Residence to plan the following elements of LINNA: Researching and investigating the background, personal histories and untold stories of the Finnish Civil War and other key events in Suomenlinna Island’s history, in collaboration with researcher Ilkka Jokipii, who will be joining us at Saari. Constructing the framework for individual and collective works within LINNA Developing the design and installation plan of the Island of Sorrows and associated community workshops through consultations with Saari Community Artist Pia Bartsch.