I arrived in Karelia, in the tiny village of Koli yesterday evening; there's so much to take in and absorb and so much to explore - I still can't quite believe I'm here...
I'm here as part of a wonderful programme of artists residencies which are organised in Koli by a dedicated and welcoming group of people and with Ignite and their fantastic Lab 13 Projects - an incredibly inspirational programme of work across many schools in the UK and internationally.
I intend to write several blog posts whilst here and to record and share explorations, discoveries, thoughts and ideas. I'm also in close contact with the organisations I work with back in the UK so that ideas can go back and forth. Its an amazing opportunity and I feel very lucky to be here.
I've been to Finland several times; it's a country I deeply love; Karelia and Koli is a part of Finland I've not been to before, so there are many new things to discover and encounter and I relish the opportunity to explore, create and share ideas here.
I've got a wonderful studio space and apartment here (the artists residency is so well organised and so many kind details have been thought through), I know many others have been here and created many kinds of work in response to the landscape. I've brought some materials, cameras, equipment and starting points of ideas here - but I'm hoping to explore and share and see where my literal and creative wonderings take me.
We will be working with the village school here further developing their Lab 13 work; its a tiny school on the edge of the forest and there seems huge potential for creative scientific explorations.
I will add much more in the coming days, for now here's some of the things that have inspired me and made me smile so far:
the stillness, the calm, the peace and quiet
the clear, fresh, clean air
the tiny details in the landscape - tiny leaves, lichen, berries, fungi and moss
the layers of colour and the way this gives a sort of haze to the vast landscape
the way human habitation sits calmly and respectfully within the landscape, the quirky touches of individual buildings all add to this
the people we met today on the hill top at Ukko Koli - where people calmly and peacefully arrived to take in the view and gently chatted. It wasn't busy and it was really calm up there; the people we did meet were from many different countries: one group had carried up there a lovely basket of goodies, another group shared a glass of bubbly to celebrate being there, a group of young students from several countries were full of smiles at the landscape, another group had a great chat with us about creative education and looking after osprey nests... What's especially striking is the calm and respect shown to the landscape; I didn't see any litter left (which happens so much in the UK), there's such a strong sense of people spending a lot of time in nature and of treading lightly on the land.
the dog and its owner gazing out across the lake earlier
intriguing paw prints by the lake shore (which creatures had emerged from the forest for a drink?)
interesting bird calls
and more... much more...