Maria Rosenlöf Photography

RED IS THE COLOUR OF YOUR LIFE

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* is a magmatic mineral that contains an elevated amount of uranium. Uranium decays into radon, a cancer provoking smell- and colour free 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.

There is a distinction between the beautiful, useful and the dangerous in nature. Between what we see and what we don’t. Here it tells about how we relate to the place we live in and depend on.

Despite we are aware that something or someone might be bad for us, we often keep on living in that way or with this person. Sometimes because we want to, or don’t have a choice. Sometimes maybe we don’t want to know since this would force us to act.

To me, the back and the bedrock is our core. 

*Rapakivi is an internationally used name for younger (about 1590 millions years old) granites. The mineral can be found in several places in Finland. It can also be found in, for example, Sweden, Norway, Greenland, India, USA, Brazil, and China.