The mindscape of the Finnish second home as closely connected to nature and a simple way of life has a strong hold (Pitkänen et al.2011) While some hesitate to break a branch, some re-make the landscape with jetties and dredging. Second homes are liminal spaces where human and more-than-human meet.
Paper long abstract:
Everyday life consists of a rising attachment to more than one place of residence (Hiltunen och Rehunen 2014). This brings us to home-making in connection to second homes. Finns spend more time at their second homes than ever before (Voutilainen m.fl. 2021). While some re-make their second home landscape with jetties, terrasses and dredging, others hesitate to break a branch. As people in urban landscapes tend to be more willing to co-exist with non humans in liminal spaces (Rupprecht 2017) second homes as liminal spaces (everyday life/free-time, urban/rural) opens up new opportunities to look at different aspects of more than human care.
The mindscape of the Finnish second home is closely connected to the Finnish national landscape and the idea of living out the simple way of life in the middle of untouched nature in harmony with the more than human. While many second home owners want to live out their second home life in a sustainable way, their perception of a sustainable and ecological way of life are not always in line with scientific knowledge. (Pitkänen 2011; Massa, Ahonen, och Ahlqvist 2006)
With focus on narratives in connection to second homes in the coastal area of Finland and with a material consisting of fieldwork, interviews and a questionnaire I hope to highlight the values connected to the environment and more than human care.