Hello Barry, I know you guys at MAP6 have recently released a new Photobook project called 'The Isolation Project', but firstly, let me introduce you all. I am curious about your process of an annual project trip and the commitment this involves from everyone?

Barry Falk (BF): Well, often after intense discussion we generally know where we want to go to. We travelled to Lithuania in 2015 when the country had just joined the EU after fifty years of Soviet occupation. We were mindful that it was 60 years since the publication of Cartier Bresson's 'The Europeans', a seminal body of work that continues to shape the photographic world, and that Europe seemed to be even more in flux - more mythical, more diverse and more complex. Since Bresson’s work was made a further 24 countries have joined the European Union family, and a single currency has been born. Lithuania was being described as being at the centre of Europe, as defined by the French National Geographic Institute, and it seemed to epitomise this debate about how we defined Europe at a time when there were so many conflicts concerning it.

© Barry Falk, 'System of Absurdity', The Lithuanian project

© Paul Walsh, 'Bokštas 25', The Lithuanian Project

© Jonty Tacon & Laurie Griffiths, 'Babochka', The Lithuanian Project

Other projects have been much closer to home. The Milton Keynes Project was an exploration of a New Town in the UK and presented us with a new way of working over several weekends: one weekend to take images, the next to edit, so it was a very quick way of working. It also coincided with the City’s 50th Anniversary which made it even more apt to visit and document the city. So, for 72 hours, we intensively captured it’s geography, people, structure and architecture to create an overlapping, collaborative project; the following weekend we revisited the city and edited the work. We actually did this together in the hotel where we were staying. We had an exhibition already pre-organised at the MK Gallery which opened shortly afterward as part of the MK 50 Anniversary Celebrations. This was a very quick and experimental approach to working together.

© Richard Chivers, 'Postcards from Milton Keynes', The Milton Keynes Project

© Barry Falk, 'Lost & Found in Milton Keynes', The Milton Keynes Project

© Mitch Karunaratne, 'Exhausting Milton Keynes', The Milton Keynes Project

Last year we were discussing different destinations linked to current issues: we were, of course, thinking about the Brexit issue, maybe Gibraltar as a representation of the old British Empire or Ireland and borders. Then someone threw in a completely different proposal regarding Finland and the World Happiness Report, which seemed both irrationally optimistic and deeply ironic with lots of potential for a group project. As a group seeking a new perspective we thought that Finland presented a much less explored destination, in terms of contemporary photography, and we were up for a new and exciting challenge.

Our working method is very much a collective process, from the initial planning stages, to the joint travelling, to the post-edit leading eventually to an exhibition, talk, series of workshops and publication. We all go away together and usually all stay together, a bit like we’re on a university trip. For instance, for our last project in Finland we all stayed at the same Hostel in Helsinki, then some of us travelled off from there to explore other areas but we all gathered together again at the end. This is a fundamental part of the process: to meet in the evening to share ideas, to compare our daily experiences, group edit our images and to help each other out. We keep things as collective as possible whilst still carrying out our individual series. When we return we then dive into post-production; this involves tight group edits, thinking about how each individual project works, challenging each others vision, sequencing and re-sequencing images, which can be a hard give and take process. An exhibition takes this a step further as we have to present the projects as a cohesive whole that hangs well together. Our recent Finland exhibition allowed us to experiment with varied ways of presenting the work, from images on the wall to slide projector and use of a TV monitor.

© Mitch Karunaratne, 'Blue Mind', Finland: The Happiness Project
This is what happens when you let your mind drift to find what it needs then allow it to stay and settle, finding a new rhythm, that moves slowly and gives you time to grow. This is what happens when you allow yourself to be absorbed, to notice, to find that profound quietness of mind.
This is what water can do. 

© Paul Walsh, 'Wanderings', Finland: The Happiness Project
Most of the world is heading in a direction where we experience our lives through technology, yet people in Finland retain a strong connection with the natural world, and understand the role it can play in an individual’s well-being. Walking is Finland's most popular form of exercise, and to explore the unique relationship that Finns have with nature, I went on a number of walks with people living in Finland. Each person chose the walk and led me along the way, whilst I made photographs to accompany our conversations.

The original MAP6 comprised of six people; but we are now actually nine members. Our photographic interests range from documentary, architectural, fine art, portrait and landscape photographers. New members joining the group usually fit into the 'house ‘style’, even though this is quite diverse, yet must also be willing to offer something new that will stretch us as a collective and bring a new perspective to the group. Being part of a collective requires both a strong identity as a photographer but also a flexibility to adapt; it can be quite a learning curve. What is gained is an experimental and often playful approach to photography which is very different than when working alone.

Then now what about the unexpected return to Finland?

BF: There were five of us who decided to return to Finland. This was right at the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic hitting Europe, before lockdown, and nobody had a clear view yet of the scale of the measures soon to come into play. We certainly felt a mixture of trepidation but also thought 'what’s the worse that can happen: they’re not going to close the border!' - which, of course, is exactly what Finland did, the day we arrived. So there we were, in Rovaniemi, Lapland, home of Santa Claus, seeing our flights being cancelled and we were unable to get a clear answer from the airlines or consulate. And we thought that as photographers we could be crippled by this sense of mounting panic or we could seize the moment. We realised that we had a unique opportunity to do something that was different, to use the situation we were in to produce one joint project. The result was the 'Isolation Project'.

© MAP6 Collective, 'The Isolation Project'

© MAP6 Collective, 'The Isolation Project'

© MAP6 Collective, 'The Isolation Project'

© MAP6 Collective, 'The Isolation Project'

© MAP6 Collective, 'The Isolation Project'

© MAP6 Collective, 'The Isolation Project'

This was a different way of working than before, very spontaneous: the normal process would be to each have a distinct researched project idea, which coalesced around an over-arching theme, however for this project we worked very closely together on the same idea. This involved looking at each others images every evening, thinking about what we could add, how one image seemed to resonate or bounce off another, when was a good time to go out together to explore places. And we also gathered together headlines that we thought could resonate with the images, keeping it experimental and anchored to a very particular point in time. The resulting images were then put together in various different edits, with quotes being added or taken away. This was tricky as the images were very different, from very dark landscapes to snowscapes and portraits. I think we went through maybe six or seven edits with the rest of the collective, who gave us further feedback and advice, playing around with the size and sequencing of the images, whether the chosen headline worked with the accompanying image, etc, before arriving at a final collective piece that then formed the resulting book.

The book 'The Isolation Project', 2020

The book 'The Isolation Project', 2020

The book 'The Isolation Project', 2020

The book 'The Isolation Project', 2020

How do you present your work then?

BF: All projects culminate in an exhibition and a publication; this may just be an exhibition guide, a handout the public can take away, but recently we've began to think more about producing MAP6 books, as this is a direction we're very keen to move in. With the Finland project we are considering ways to make it into a broader cultural event, including panel discussions, photography workshops and public submissions alongside the exhibition.

In October 2020, MAP6 were selected by the Brighton Photo Fringe and exhibited at Colonnade House, Worthing, UK

In October 2020, MAP6 were selected by the Brighton Photo Fringe and exhibited at Colonnade House, Worthing, UK

In October 2020, MAP6 were selected by the Brighton Photo Fringe and exhibited at Colonnade House, Worthing, UK

In October 2020, MAP6 were selected by the Brighton Photo Fringe and exhibited at Colonnade House, Worthing, UK

In October 2020, MAP6 were selected by the Brighton Photo Fringe and exhibited at Colonnade House, Worthing, UK

In Finland we have found a very receptive community, open to the discussion we are having as photographers. This lends itself very well to extending our practice as visual artists to facilitators of cultural phenomena. We are as keen to engage with philosophers, political thinkers and writers as we are with other photographers. We have began to establish these connections in Finland and we recently had two members of MAP6 (Paul Walsh and Rich Cutler) participate in a panel discussion organised by the Finnish Institute around the theme of 'Finntopia: British perspectives on the world's happiest country', along with Danny Dorling who co-wrote the book 'Finntopia' and Annamari Sipilä, London correspondent of Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest newspaper in Finland.

Barry, from the experience you have had in Finland, and also from those of the other members of the collective, I am curious to understand what considerations have emerged on the classification of Finland as the happiest country in the world. What Finns really think about these statistics. How much is it true? And what impressions did you get from your journey ...?

BF: Our photographic project ‘Finland: The Happiness Project’ is an exploration of why Finland ranks so highly in terms of happiness, according to the World Happiness Report, but also an attempt to capture the essence of Finland. In our characteristic way, we gathered diverse viewpoints that show how Finland positively promotes healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives – be this through the architecture, nature mirrored in design, the sustainable timber industry, the essential sauna culture, the sea as a place to gain perspective, the healthy act of walking and being in nature, personal comfort zones, the link between landscape and national identity and a study of a city ranked as the most satisfied in Finland. From these varying viewpoints, as outsiders looking in, we learnt something about Finland.

© Rich Cutler, 'Metsänpeitto', Finland: The Happiness Project
Finns and forests intertwine through history to the present. The forest has provided shelter and sustenance for millennia. But the forest can be perilous too. This was apparent during the Second World War, when the Finns fought Soviet soldiers among the pines and birches. Unsurprisingly, the forest is a frequent motif in Finnish mythology. Today, forests still cover most of the land and continue to shape Finnish culture with its hallmarks of egalitarianism and respect for nature. This project, Metsänpeitto, is an exploration of Finland through its forests and myths.

© Richard Chivers, 'Green Gold', Finland: The Happiness Project
Finland’s forests are its ‘green gold’. From the economic, environmental, social and cultural points of view, forests are Finland’s most important natural feature. Finns live and holiday in the forests, and the forests provide huge economic benefits for Finland’s economy - including products that are recyclable and tackle climate change, having billions of users every day.

© Barry Falk, 'The Happiest Place on Earth', Finland: The Happiness Project
Finland was named the world’s happiest country by the United Nations in 2018, based on polls from 156 countries. A second survey found that Kauniainen’s 9,600 residents were the most satisfied in Finland, leading the local mayor, Christoffer Masar, to joke that theirs was ‘the happiest town on earth’. The Happiest Place on Earth is a photographic exploration of Kauniainen and its inhabitants.

Of course, Finland is a very homogenous society; immigrants barely constitute 2% of the population, and it is also still a very rural country, with vast tracts of sparsely populated landscape. It also has its famously high tax rates, which means it therefore has very good health care and education. Since its independence from Russia in 1917, and tough stand against the much larger Russian Army in the Winter War in 1939, Finland has rapidly developed as a country, from being a relatively poor and agricultural society ruled by the Swedish and then the Russian, to now being one of the world's most prosperous nations that leads by example. 

There seems to be a lot of healthy factors that outweigh the very long winters, as evidenced in the design and buildings and sauna and intimate connection to nature: the antidote to the cold dark months seems to be the healthy culture of sauna and engagement with nature, including ice swimming! What we also discovered was that there is a high level of trust within Finnish society and an emphasis on maintaining a fairer society, with less of a divide between the rich and poor. There appears to be less hierarchy within the school systems and the common message I received, when documenting the city of Kauniainen, was that the municipality is closely knit, has an excellent infrastructure and is built on a bedrock of inter-generational trust. Everyone I met told me it is a safe place to live and that the community spirit is very high. This seems to be the sentiment that runs throughout the country, at least the areas that we explored.

© Heather Shuker, 'Löyly', Finland: The Happiness Project
This series captures saunas as one of the most important cultural activities in Finland. In a country of 5.5 million people there are an estimated 3.3 million saunas. The sauna culture promotes well-being, as a place for solitude, to unwind and take care of your body but also as a social space where all walks of life sit and talk together.

© Chloe Lelliott, Within the Rigid Exists Fluidity', Finland: The Happiness Project
The quiet beauty of the forests and lakes along with the extreme seasons are all soul-forming elements of Finnish life. A regard for utilitarianism is reflected in Finnish design, which embraces sustainability, functionality and a simple beauty. There is a harmony and respect between what is man-made and the natural world, with the organic forms of the architecture acting as a constant reminder of the beauty of nature.

We also heard of some of the discontent in Finland and we were told that mental health is still a problem, with high suicide rates and alcoholism. So, it’s not paradise on earth, and in fact the Finns we talked to were very reticent to say that they are happy, preferring to use the term life satisfaction or be more reserved in themselves. But this is from a more individual perspective.

But the overall impression we gained was of a modern, dynamic and cohesive society that has found ingenious ways to reinvent itself and to maintain its health, despite the long, dark winters. The Finns pride themselves on their fortitude, they even have a word for it: Sisu, which can be understood as inner strength, a will not to give up, and mental resilience.

© Raoul Ries, 'Comfort Zone', Finland: The Happiness Project
This series explores openness to strangers and trust as main factors in individuals’ happiness. I asked strangers in Helsinki if I could take their picture from various distances ranging from public and social spaces to personal and intimate spaces. As soon as a person indicated I was getting too close, I stopped photographing. I consider each of these sessions as a generous gift of both time and trust. 

© Richard Chivers, 'Green Gold', Finland: The Happiness Project

© David Sterry, 'Moments of Joy', Finland: The Happiness Project
In principle, we should be able to sense a mood of joy within all of our surroundings. Helsinki is known as the ‘city of architecture’. The city is a loose, spacious, unstructured arrangement of buildings shaped by its relationship with the sea. The architecture (originally neo-classical and romantic and more latterly organic modernism) produces many unexpected ‘moments of joy’. I have attempted to capture some of these moments in the city’s places, spaces and materials.  

---

LINKS
MAP 6 Collective 
Book 'The Isolation', 2020
Urbanautica United Kingdom