Joel Heikkinen
Internship: Yoshiyuki Okuyama
joelheikkinen1@gmail.com, joelheikkinen.com, instagram.com/joelheik
‘There is this dream that has followed me for quite some time now. It is a dream so warm and gentle that I wish for it to never end. There, I see my family and friends. I see my hometown more beautiful than ever before. And then there is the light. The sunlight reflecting and sparkling over the pure white blanket that covers the ground. So bright and radiating that the light ends up taking over the dream.’
Growing up in a Nordic country, I used to take it for granted that snow would cover the ground every winter, yet already during my short-lived life, the world and the climate have undergone a drastic change. This story follows a day where the precious memories of winters in my childhood come back to me in my dream—as if my mind was trying to compensate for the absence of snow in reality.
Through photography, writing, and music, I try to process my longing for a time but also a part of my identity that is now becoming out of reach. The project explores how the changing climate and the new kind of uncertainty surrounding the winter months are causing complex emotional responses.
THE GENTLE SADNESS OF BEING - THOUGHTS ON THE FLEETINGNESS OF NATURE, PHOTOGRAPHY AND MEMORIES
Thesis
Everything in this world is affected by the passage of time and seeing how things change around us is bound to bring a wide range of emotions in its wake. The particular feeling that this thesis explores is a rather gentle one, yet something that is very present in our lives. It is the bittersweet sadness of going through photos of happy moments that are now in the past or the slight sorrow when realising how fast life is passing us by.
In this thesis, philosophical reflections intertwine with personal memories and stories. The research is divided into two main parts; the first focusing on nature, and the second on photography and memories. As a way of concluding, the thesis looks at how change is not only an essential part of life but can also be a beautiful thing. The thought that everything we cherish will fade away can be sad and heartbreaking, but at the same time, it shows that one has found or experienced something worthwhile.