The Art and Reflections Project: Familiarizing Oneself to a New Environment Trough Art Activities in Nature

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to an environmental art workshop leaded by the Finnish artist and art educator Hanna Levonen. The workshop was taking place close to the town of Pello, which is situated in the North-East of Lapland (literally on the side of the river that separates Finland from Sweden), in Oranki Environmental Art Park. For three years, a group of Finnish and international artists gathered there during summer to create sculptures in nature, and visitors are welcome to wander in the forest and admire the sculptures all year long.
More information on Oranki and photos of the artworks can be find on this website: http://environmentalart.net/orankiart.htm

The participants involved  in the workshop was a group of about 20 young teenagers new comers or refugees who attend a transitional school in Rovaniemi, until they speak the language well enough to attend the regular school system. The Art Association of Artists of Rovaniemi, in collaboration with other local artists, organizes visual and performing art workshop at the school on a regular basis. This particular project in nature is called "Art and Reflections" and it was happening for the third time. However, since the kids arrive and leave the school continuously, it is never the same group who participate in this activity.

So, after one hour in bus, we arrived at the Oranki Environmental Art Park where we walked in the forest and admired the artworks. As it can be expected from young teenagers, a lot of photos were taken! It was a wet and humid day, but the temperature was not so cold (8 degree C!). After 45 minutes we arrived at the site where a  sculpture  made of branches had been created by the same group last Spring, but some of the kids in this group were gone, while other ones just joined it. We formed a circle, and through discussions, the kids decided what they would like to add to the sculpture. The original sculpture represented a snake on the point of eating some eggs laid down in a nest. The ideas which were kept were to add a bird which would defend the nest, a moon and stars, and a couple of other little snakes.

Hanna and the other artists and teachers leading the discussion group

After lunch, we returned to the site and began to build the second sculpture out of branches attached with metal wire. It was so great to see every kid enthusiastic and participating to the projects.

Gathering branches in the wood to make the project

Part of the original sculpture

Working on the bird

Attaching ropes to hang the stars and the moon

View of the final installation with the new snake and bird

View of the final installation, the moon, stars, and new nest

 In the end, the project was very successful. These kids must have a tough time adjusting to their new life in Finland and learning a new language, and I think that this project is an interesting way to familiarize oneself with a new environment in a creative way, while developing positive experiences in relation to nature, which can be later transpose in how they perceive their new culture.
But an excursion in Finland would not have been a real one without a fire camp and "makkarat", so at the end everyone (but me!) got warmer around the fire and ate some sausages!

Tervetuloa

I welcome you to my blog about art and art education on the 66° parallel, in Rovaniemi, Finland. Yes I know, it took me the whole month to finally start it up, but it seems like it took all this time to feel a little bit settle! Don't worry though, all this time waiting will be worth it! This blog will give me the opportunity to share my experience as an exchange student for the fall semester at the University of Lapland, while pursuing my master in Art Education at Concordia University. But, you must be asking yourself, why on earth did I have the crazy idea to go study in a place where temperature can fall as low as 40C below zero, and there will be practically no sunlight in November and December? Well, in addition to the appeal of saunas, the University of Lapland has been the site and instigator of numerous environmental and community art and educational projects in the last years. From snow and willow sculptures in collaboration with school groups around Finnish Lapland by artist Timo Jokela, to community art projects to foster shared understanding between people from different backgrounds in Northern communities by art educator Mirja Hiltunen, without forgetting the community and bioart projects by artist Maria Huhrmaniemi, the University of Lapland is one of the place to be to study environmental and community art and art education.
                          

       Timo Jokela Daughters of Päiviö, Levi Fell, Kittilä, Finland 1996

  Mirja Hiltunen, Firefox Event, Utsjoki, 2005

Maria Huhmarniemi, Installation Särkyvää / Fragile, 2009

I am looking forward to share on this blog what I will learn in these fields during my exchange experience, all in an informal way (yes, I am sure you already noticed some mistakes, and no quotes!) But also, this blog will hopefully help me to stay connected with students and professors at Concordia University while I am away. So, you are welcome to ask me any questions, and please, write some comments from time to time!
Have a great Fall semester everyone, and there will be a new post every week, mostly on Sundays, so keep checking!

A bit more about Rovaniemi: Rovaniemi is the administrative, cultural and educational centre of Finnish Lapland, and it's population is of 60 000 inhabitants. Tourism is an important industry in Rovaniemi, and it is Santa Claus's official hometown, in addition to being right on the polar circle parallel. Just so you know, the world most Northern branch of Mac Donald's is there as well! Most of Rovaniemi's buildings were destroyed during WWII, so architecturally speaking Rovaniemi is not exceptional, but it still manage to include buildings by famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Finally, the most amazing thing about Rovaniemi is its unspoiled nature: it is common to see reindeers in your garden (a semi-domesticated animal here), if you are lucky you can see northern lights (and I was!), and there are tons of parks to hike in the forest. Finally, because Rovaniemi is situated so much in the North, the  daylight will be decreasing extremely fast during the fall (10 minutes less everyday), and in November there will be only 4 hours of sunshine, and 2 hours in December.