What significance does the forest have for artists in Helsinki? What does the future look like for forests?

And what are the roles that art can assume in discussions about the forest in the era of environmental crisis and biodiversity loss?
Forest dialogue at Stoa is part of the programme of the Great Forest Dialogue Day. Come and join in!

Forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change and halting biodiversity loss. At the same time, they are an important part of the economy and the livelihoods of many people. Forests are also a deeply meaningful place for people to live, recreate and relax, and an essential habitat for thousands of species. Forests, their significance and use in Finland are undergoing a great change. In the future, we must be able to reconcile the different meanings, values and interests of forests and adapt their use to the limits of nature’s carrying capacity.

The aim of these dialogues is to make visible the meanings, values and future visions associated with forests. At Stoa, artists in different fields will engage in the dialogue. Author Hanna Weselius; poet Olli Sinivaara; theatre teacher Ida Backer; handcraft teacher and education planner Tiina Mikkelä; essayist, Matokallio activist Katri Kiukas; photographer Sanni Seppo; and textile artist, researcher Sonja Salomäki will be participating in the dialogue.

In the forest dialogue, the participants will focus on debating the topic together in a circle. The audience can follow the dialogue from their seats. The discussion will be facilitated by librarian Liisa Uimonen.

The debate is part of the Great Forest Dialogue Day. An anonymised, public summary will be created based on the dialogues held all over Finland along with alternative scenarios for the future of forests in Finland. The summary and the scenarios will be published on the Kone Foundation website for everyone to use.

The aim of these dialogues is to make visible the meanings and values associated with forests, to diversify the conversation on forests and to support the transformation of forest-related activities.

The forest dialogue at Stoa is organised in cooperation by Itäkeskus Library, the Finnish-language Adult Education Centre of the City of Helsinki and Cultural Centre Stoa.

Free entrance