Farewell to the Hoppers

On 24 September 2022, the AaltoSiilo hosted a unique farewell song – not for people, but for the industrial relics that had defined its main purpose for decades. “Farewell to the Hoppers”, the inaugural event of the AaltoSiilo project after the building's purchase in 2021, transformed a routine demolition into a celebration of industrial memory and artistic innovation.

Organised by Factum Foundation in collaboration with Oulu, European Capital of Culture 2026, this groundbreaking performance marked the beginning of the Silo's transformation from neglected site to cultural landmark. The event was freely open to the public and streamed live on Twitch.tv and Facebook, ensuring that this historic moment could be witnessed by audiences far beyond the Meri-Toppila district.

Two massive industrial metal hoppers, once essential to the cellulose-making process that defined the Toppila Pulp Mill, were scheduled for removal as part of the restoration works undertaken by Factum Foundation and Skene Catling de la Peña. A third had already been dismantled during earlier structural integrity assessments between 2021 and 2022. Rather than allowing these industrial artefacts to disappear silently into history, Transistori – a group of six musicians and two sound engineers, all originally from Oulu – recognised the musical potential hidden within these utilitarian forms.

The cavernous, peculiar acoustics of the metal hoppers had caught the ensemble's attention during a visit. Specialising in instruments crafted from scrap and recycled materials, Transistori approached these industrial remnants not as obsolete machinery, but as unique percussion instruments with their own distinctive voices.

During the live show, they used the hoppers and funnels as the foundation for an extraordinary sonic exploration, remixing and enhancing their resonant tones with electronic beats, synthesisers, and drum machines. The interior of the Silo itself became a massive resonating chamber, transforming the entire building into an urban-sized musical instrument. Audiences outside experienced this industrial symphony through a LED screen that captured the performance within the concrete cathedral.
The main performance was preceded by DJ sets by Crash Doom, Miha, and Otilia and audiovisual performances by Ohmudog,

Farewell to the Hoppers represented far more than an innovative concert – it embodied a philosophy of cultural preservation that honours the past whilst embracing transformation. The event highlighted the industrial heritage of the Toppila Pulp Mill Silo whilst simultaneously celebrating its rebirth through restoration and repurposing. This inaugural event demonstrated how the building's new life would maintain deep connections to its industrial origins whilst opening entirely new possibilities for cultural expression.

The overwhelming attendance both on-site and online affirmed the power of this approach to heritage preservation – one that sees demolition not as erasure, but as an opportunity for transformation and memory-making. By giving the hoppers a final musical performance before their removal, Transistori and the AaltoSiilo created a bridge between the Silo's industrial past and its future as a cultural event site.