Contemporary Design

Maybe I wish that you were a forest

by Saga Rantanen
A close up of dry leaves and a text over the image saying “Maybe I wish that you were a forest”

Maybe I wish that you were a forest is an imaginative conversation between me and my balcony, presented in the form of a video. In this conversation I explore my recurring tendency to collect objects and creatures, memories from the forest to my balcony, as to create a tiny organic habitat in the midst of concrete. I quickly realised how minimal my knowledge in more-than-human needs was. I wanted to care for these creatures, but I didn’t really know how. Did those trees even want to live here? Did the balcony itself want to become wild? The further I observed my relationship with my balcony, I realized how these creatures had become a remedy for my longing for wilderness. It seemed that I only knew how to invite them to my personal space through captivation and domestication. They would become dependent on me in this unnatural place, where possibly neither of us belonged.

A collage with plants, a person and pieces of wood. On top there is a text saying ”I know that... I just thought I'd make it a little cosier here, bring some life here.”
A closed balcony with a chair on it and a shelf with gardening things and two plants in plant pots
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