Tree People
The following description was submitted by the event organizer.
World Forestry Center presents Tree People, an exhibition by Finnish photographers Ritva Kovalainen and Sanni Seppo. This exhibition braids forest mythology with an almost forgotten treasure trove of customs and beliefs, portraying the sacred connection between people and trees in Finnish folk culture.
A journey through time and place, Tree People is underpinned by forest-based myths and lore that were once central to people’s lives in rural Finland, Estonia, and East Karelia. The artists spent ten years studying this material, learning the stories in this exhibition through conversation with locals, finding them in archival research, and witnessing them during their travels.
On Friday, September 6, the artists Ritva Kovalainen and Sanni Seppo will be calling in from Finland to share about the ten years of research that lead up to the creation of their book and exhibition. The Finnish photographers will speak about how their work braids Nordic forest mythology with an almost forgotten treasure trove of customs and beliefs, portraying the sacred connection between people and trees in Finnish folk culture. There will be an optional gallery tour with the World Forestry Center’s Experience Developer before the artist’s talk.
RSVP for the artists' talk here.