Journey - Matka

Winter sauna❄️❄️

@hakoniemiluovatila residency artist Jussi Ronkainen: I went to Hakoniemi in the start of winter and in the end of autumn. In some kind of transition point. During the night there was light snowfall and in the morning the ground was usually partly covered in a thin layer of snow. As the day passed, so would the snow slowly disappear. During the week I tested out the capabilities of the atelier to serve as a simple darkroom. As Hakoniemi is situated in an area where there are only small amounts of artificial light, it made the experiment particularly easy. In the evening the brightest source of light was the moon. Otherwise, I was fascinated by the near vicinity of the main building and the views that can be seen from its windows. There were the old, autumnal apple trees standing, bearing still some apples. Contemplating the transitional period of the year, I photographed the apple garden and the apples which had fallen to the ground one by one on top of a soft pillow to give them a soft landing. As I did this, I was also preparing myself for the winter. I feel that Hakoniemi is a place where you can focus in the simple things and forget for a while the buzzing of the everyday life.

Fresh air and ice swimming 🏊‍♂️ Would you fancy? 🌊🌊

Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää Suomi! 🇫🇮 Happy Independence Day Finland!

Have a great weekend 🔥

On of the many best things about Lake Saimaa are the numerous unexplored islands that await to be explored.