Lapland: Then and Now — Lecture Series at the Main Library

Lapland: Then and Now — lecture series at the Main Library, starting 9 November

Lapland is at once history, living culture and a constantly evolving identity. But what images are associated with Lapland, and where do they come from? This autumn lecture series explores Lapland, past and present, from different perspectives. What stories about Lapland are told in music and literature? What draws people to Lapland, and where does inspiration come from? And how is Lapland represented in the updated Lapland regional brand?

The events, open to everyone, will be held at 17:30 in the Lapponica Hall at Rovaniemi Main Library and hosted by science journalist Tapani Niemi. The events will be streamed on the Rovaniemi City Library YouTube channel: youtube.com/@roikirjasto

Mon 9 Nov
Lapland of Dreams – What images draw people to Lapland? | Director Laura Satimus

What images lead people to move to Lapland, and how have these images changed? Director Laura Satimus discusses the subject based on responses from people who applied to take part in YLE’s documentary series Unelma Lapista (A Dream of Lapland), and explains how participants felt those images matched reality in the series itself. She will also talk about the image of Lapland in YLE’s fiction productions.

Wed 18 Nov
Longing for Lapland and Lapin painamat – The North in the Writing of Authors | Cultural historian and writer Virpi Vainio and science journalist Tapani Niemi

Northern writers have shaped the majority population’s image of Lapland and its people through their books, while also helping people in Lapland deepen their understanding of themselves. Before the wars, Lapland was depicted by male writers; the main character was often a man from the south, captivated by Lapland’s nature. But does life in the North match a newcomer’s expectations, and how does the newcomer adapt? After the war, women writers emerged and began writing about women’s lives in Lapland. How did literature’s image of Lapland change? What is Lapland like in literature today?

Mon 23 Nov
Laplands in Song – Our Region in the Reality of Its Songs | Singer-songwriter Jaakko Laitinen

How does our region appear in the reality of its songs? Alongside admiration for natural beauty, there are harsh living conditions, hearty and forthright people, poaching and vivid romance. Singer-songwriter Jaakko Laitinen recently delved into old reel-to-reel tapes from Lapin Radio. The unrecorded Lapland humppa music revealed another layer of Lapland’s independent-minded song tradition.

Mon 30 Nov
What Is Our Lapland Like? – Lapland Visually, Then and Now | Lapland Brand 2.0 project

How has Lapland been represented visually in the past, and how is it represented now? What shapes local people’s image of Lapland? What makes Lapland Lapland? The evening explores Lapland’s visual image through both past and present. Jukka Kiviniemi discusses his doctoral dissertation on the graphic symbols of tourism businesses in Lapland. Leena Raappana-Luiro and Jutta Rinne-Kanto guide listeners through the visual world of the Lapland brand. Katariina Imporanta concludes the programme by presenting the Lapland brand, updated in September. Instead of beautiful picture-postcard images, the perspective has been brought closer…