Acclimatization in the land of the midnight sun
acclimatization
: to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation
Growing up in the Golden State, with one of the best climates of the world, I could only wonder what it would be like to experience acclimatization in Finland. Many wonder how Finns survive with no sunlight in the winter, and with nature replying with 24 hours of it in the summer. The intense contrast in light conditions has a profound effect on all walks of life in Finland. For understandable reasons, public spaces come to life in the summer. After the harsh winter, endless daylight never arrives a day too early. Summer in Finland is a time spent outside the house enjoying the short but sweet season, and all worries are postponed until nights get dark again.
Midnight Sun The summer nights are Finland’s most iconic natural phenomena. In the northernmost parts of Finnish Lapland, the sun stays above the horizon for over 70 consecutive days. Late at night, the sun briefly dips into the horizon before rising again, blurring the boundaries between night and day, creating white days.
Aurora Borealis When the endless summer gives way to dark winter, the Northern lights appear in the sky more than 200 nights a year. That’s pretty much every winter night. The winter sky transforms to a spectacular play of colors.
Igloo The best place to contemplate the Aurora Borealis is through an igloo. Finland’s igloo is a type of traditional shelter built from snow. Today, igloos have been reinvented with glass roofs to take advantage of the northern lights scenery in the sky.
Lakes and Forests With more forest and water than anywhere else in Europe, Finland is also known for “the land of the thousand lakes and the thousands forests�. Over 70% of Finland is covered by forests and its 180,000 lakes have more water in relation to land mass than all the countries of the world. Finland is also the largest archipelago of the world with roughly 70,000 islands.
Everyman’s Right In Finland, “Everyman’s right”(Jokamiehen Oikeus) is to walk freely in nature, anywhere you want to the forest to collect mushrooms, berries or the cleanest tap water in the world to make dinner.
Weirdest Language Finland has the world’s weirdest language, where the longest word is: epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydellänsäkäänköhän
Bold Design Finland is also known for the boldest design or “true design nation”, as a country that has been setting trends for decades.
Reindeer or Husky It is pointless to own a car in Finland. There are two environmentally friendly options to get around snowy landscapes and vast forests; a pack of dogs or reindeer. The number of reindeer roughly equals that of people in Finland.
One country two different acclimatizations-- one in the summer and one in the winter. Two contrasting climates, environments, and situations. How to make sense of a country that stimulates acclimatization? The ability to adapt to the natural world and seamlessly weave it into everyday life. Would I be able to acclimatize to Finland like the Finnish huskies did to the rest of the world? Finland is the land of extremes. With stark differences between seasons, Finns are used to contrasts. Dark Arctic winters have their counterpart in one of the most iconic of Finnish natural phenomena, the Midnight Sun. Extremities inspire innovation. As I record my experiences through a journal, sketches and photographs, I would like to paint/design a visual that captures the contrast of my acclimatization in summer and winter in Finland.