Maria Rosenlöf Photography

BEDROCK

Bedrock is about the distinction between what we see and what we don’t, between the beautiful, useful and the dangerous in nature. It’s about how we relate to a place we live in and depend on.

The bedrock of the Aland Islands in Finland consists almost entirely of red rapakivi granite. The stone is everywhere, used in roads, churches, house grounds etc. Smoothly shaped cliffs create together with the sea a positive self-identity and attract tourists.

Rapakivi can be found in a couple of places in Finland. It can also be found in for example USA, Brazil, China and many other parts of the world.

Rapakivi is a magmatic mineral that contains an elevated amount of uranium. Uranium decays into radon, a smell- and colourfree gas that gets into houses. Every year, according to the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, approximately 300 Finns are diagnosed with lung cancer because of exposure to radon. Few islanders test their indoor air or household water for Becquerel.

I was reminded of a deeply human habit. Despite we are aware that something or someone might be bad for us, we keep on living in the same way or with this person. Maybe because we want to, or we don’t have a choice. Maybe we don’t want to know since this would force us to act.

To me the back and the bedrock is our core.