: to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it
Finnish people are metsäkansa, the forest people. Forests are property, green gold. In Finnish folklore forests were sources of vital resources but also mystery. We live in the forests, from the forests and go into the forest from the outside.
What do words related to forest tell us about our relationship with nature? This dictionary looks into how language from different spheres of life contribute to our understanding of a forest. Dive into a gathering of words below. Is there something still missing?
In times of environmental crises it’s essential to take a look at our relationship with nature. What is our current understanding of nature, and our part in it? This dictionary explores the topic by compiling words connected to forests from different spheres of life.
This dictionary is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather shed light on the fragmented view we have of nature. I have chosen these words because they seem to be either misunderstood, fuzzy in their meaning, used in conflicting ways or disregarded. We need to look at these words and the discourses behind them critically and join the much needed discussion. I think the current discussion is missing a point-of-view that is less human-centric and more posthumanistic.
I myself am a visual communication designer and not an expert on any of these topics. I'd love to receive further suggestions to the dictionary or just general feedback: eronen.ulla@gmail.com!
The project was made during the course ‘Information: Studio’ in the Visual Communication Design programme at Aalto University. Ulla Eronen, 2022.