DIVING IN TO THE DARKNESS

 

 

For half of the year, Mustarinda is surrounded by polar night. Mustarinda is the map name of the area surrounding the house, and it means black mountain, hill of the spirits, black chest of the bear, bear god, dark forest of the hill top. The ancient spruce forest of Mustarinda stays dark even in the bright summer days and nights. Mustarinda-Paljakka forest area can be seen in a satellite images as a dark green spot in the very center of the Finland.

 

Dark green refers to deep ecology, and also to a possibly developing dark green ecologically minded religion. Dark ecology is a concept introduced by Tim Morton, and it refers to re-understanding the nature and environment not as a harmonious (or conservative) status quo, but a continuous process of change. Dark green opposes bright, smart, tehnology-driven ecology not by being pessimistic but by accepting the paradoxical behavior of nature and humans, seeing beauty also in the destructive elements of life. Accepting enables analysing, ciritisism, understanding and prosessing the destructive part of our culture (consumerism).

 

Darkness can be seen or felt as something horrifying or something fascinating. Mustarinda house is located far away from the nearest neigbors. It enables one to position oneself in whatever real or imaginary world, every time one steps out from the door or looks out of the window. What is it there outside? How can you know something about that, is it out or in? Are you in or out? Are you looking or are you been looked at? Darkness is full of something