Lotta Böhm

Finland is known as the land of forests and thousands of lakes – and rightly so, as it is the most forested country in Europe. These forests cover over seventy-five percent of the country’s land area, but on the flip side, around ninety-five percent of them are used for forestry. However, there was once a different kind of closeness, a quieter understanding between humans and more-than-human worlds. Now this connection lingers as a story that we continue to sell beyond Finland’s borders about never-ending primary forests, rich species populations and people living in harmony with the surrounding nature.

In my graduation project, I examine what appears to be an almost hypocritical view of Finland’s national landscape and explore the veiled realities of an ever-changing forest environment through personal experiences. I grieve the relationship that once was inherent and circle back to the contemporary decision-making that shapes what remains. Moving between observation and reflection, I wonder what is remembered and what is being erased.

Using photography as both a critical and reflective tool, I question dominant narratives about harmony between humans and the environment. By scouting both what is visible and what is hidden, the project holds a more layered understanding of landscape and local relationship to it. Through a combination of observational imagery and metaphorical approaches, I aim to highlight this forgotten connection alongside the traces of destruction embedded within the familiar. I seek to encourage more nuanced discussion around often one-sided perspectives and challenge the somewhat polished public image by showing the visible destruction.