THE BUILDER – Marketta Hormia

I photographed the construction of the new Hakaniemi Bridge during the years 2021-2025. The photographs focus on the builders and the images depicting the bridge act as a frame. For me, the bridge was both a concrete structure and a way of viewing the city as a system of processes – and a way to observe the human who walks their own path in a changing environment.

During the years I became familiar with both the major and minor stages of the construction work, from the installation of one-hundred-ton structural elements, to the finishing of asphalt edges and painted surfaces. As the project progressed, I also got to know many of the builders and their respective roles. The photographic encounters felt natural and were often interactive.

The images in the exhibition do not aim to explain the construction process; rather, they invite the viewer to follow its rhythm, events, and labour. I hope that the viewer can pause for a moment in the presence of the unfinished and see the city as a changing entity, where builders carry out their work and gradually guide our steps toward new paths.