The Border

Photos are from the series ”The Border”. It is a book about experiences and memories, a journey to the boundary between two different countries and cultures. Hanna Koikkalainen has photographed life on bothsides of the Finnish-Russian border, observing and preserving various moods and situations. In the center of the book are the people. "The shooting trips had various inspirations: a childhood memory, a colour, the weather, or the simple love of adventure and the willingness to encounter something new. I went out to photograph fragments that remind us of the boundaries that surround us. I gave myself the permission to stray from my path and to experiment. I took photographs in the Finnish south-east border region and also made some shooting trips to Russia. I wanted mobility and the wonder created by the changing scenery to be constant factors in the way I worked. During my trips, I remained conscious of all sorts of borders and boundaries. One of the most significant boundaries I discovered within myself. Encountering another human being is one of the greatest border crossings."