Abstract
We analyze three environmentally conscious works that are concerned with the state of Finnish forests: the documentary film Metsän tarina/Tale of a Forest (2012), the book with the same name (2013) and the series of short documentaries Tarinoita metsästä/Tales from the Forest (2013). By combining methods from arts research and ecology, we ask how the narratives adapt material from nature photography. The film and book present mythic stories and old Finnish beliefs about forests. They also contain references to cultural memory. Additionally, the biodiversity on display reflects a conventional practice to exhibit large or charismatic species. However, the ecological message remains only implicit, expressed through aesthetic choices rather than information about natural processes. Overall, we suggest that adaptation in these narratives can be understood as an artistic process of recycling and referencing and as a way to reconnect with cultural memory and nature. As such, it can enhance relationships with nature and awareness of conservation needs. However, we ask whether the past-oriented strategy is a politically effective way to activate a connection with nature in modern Finland, where discussions about environmental problems are closely connected to heated debates about forestry.
Highlights
It is a common claim that Finnish people have a special relationship with the forest
We argue that the subtle ecological strategy of the Tale of a Forest works only if the audience is already aware of the disappearance of old forests and its consequences for the biodiversity and climate
The discussion around the state of forests has become more intense in Finland
Summary
It is a common claim that Finnish people have a special relationship with the forest. Arts 2020, 9, 125 provided a variety of raw materials, food and shelter, and have enabled livelihoods in agriculture and forestry This diverse utilization of forests has led to intensive management of a resource that makes up 75% of Finland’s land area, with only 12% of the productive forest land under protection. The documentary film Metsän tarina (Tale of a Forest, Finland, 2012) is one of the first examples of the current wave of such cultural products. One of the film’s two narrators is a boy who learned old Finnish beliefs about the forest and its animal and fairy inhabitants from his father In both the film and the book, the ecological message is only implicit in a narrative that references old myths and folklore.
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