WHAT DOES THE

SNOW MAKE ALIVE

LUDOVICO EINAUDI AND THE NATURAL SHADOWS
OF LAPLAND

This project was developed for the photography course we took at LAPIN YLIOPISTO UNIVERSITY in FINLAND. The aim of the seminar was to create a series of photographs representing our reflections on the Lappish landscape in which we were immersed during our 5-month Erasmus stay.

✴︎ PLAY THE AUDIO TRACK BELOW

During the ARTIC INSPIRATION course experience, the idea arose to reflect on how snow, a substance that is in itself shapeless and “dead”, comes to life from the shadows of objects, plants or living beings that are generated on it. During an excursion to the Pyhä-Luosto nature park, these photographs were therefore taken, reflecting on the patterns that plants create: shadows of different shapes, textures and densities that, infected by light, create different shades of colour.

WITHOUT THESE SHADOWS, SNOW WOULD JUST BE A FLAT SURFACE,
LACKING DEPTH DIMENSION.

In order to make the experience more immersive, it was chosen to accompany the sense of sight with another sense, the sense of hearing. I personally believe that experiences that involve several senses at the same time are incredibly more profound and involving experiences. The track chosen was that of the famous pianist 
Ludovico Einaudi – Seven days walking – Day 2: A SENSE OF SIMMETRY.

The idea for this project was born during an experience in the Lappish forest of the Pyhä-Luosto Nature Park. The course, entitled ARTIC INSPIRATION, was created with the aim of immersing international students in the Finnish Lappish context, allowing them to experience three days immersed in the authentic culture of the region. Thus, between saunas and snow baths, smoked salmon and lunches in the Laavu forest, an authentic experience, far from the stereotypes that pollute the culture, is lived. Below are some photographs of the context in which the project was born.

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