House of Forgetting is a playable artwork by visual artist Hanna Råst and game developer Petri Räsänen that explores the tension between remembering and forgetting. In the piece, the player guides a hand reaching toward a house crouching on the horizon – a symbol of memory, home, or the past. Each time the house seems within reach, it retreats farther away, just like memories that seem to slip from our grasp the moment we try to hold onto them.
In the game, the house represents something we can strive for but never fully control. It is a figure that is both familiar and estranged, reminding us that memory does not always offer comfort or resolution to what we chase after. The work invites reflection on what and how we remember, what we want to remember, and who has access to the past narratives. It encourages persistent movement forward, where each step may reveal new interpretations and layers within the state of remembering and forgetting. Ultimately, remembering is not about preserving memory, but about the ability to face its constant transformation.
Hanna Råst (b. 1986, Saarijärvi) lives and works in Helsinki. Råst has exhibited in solo and group shows, most recently at Galerie Anhava, Helsinki (2025); ISELP, Brussels (2025); Hopusepea Gallery, Tallinn (2025); Galerie Le Clézio, Paris (2024); and Liberec Regional Gallery, Czech Republic (2022). Her works are included in collections such as the Finnish State Art Commission, Helsinki Art Museum, and Jyväskylä Art Museum, as well as in numerous private collections in Finland and abroad.
www.hannarast.com
Petri Räsänen (b. 1987, Espoo) is a Helsinki-based game developer. He has worked at companies including Seriously and Huuuge, and co-founded the game studios Double Star and Playnest, where he currently works. Webpage: http://petriart.c1.biz/
