To Heal the Woods of the Earth (and the Mind) through Play and Art

In the early 2020s, the Faculty of Art and Design at the University of Lapland launched the project Forest Ecosystem Services as a Sustainable Potential of Creative Industries. It explored how art-based methods could support the renewal of tourism and welfare services grounded in the sensitive ecosystems of the Arctic. Forests face increasing pressures from forestry, climate change, and tourism. In response, seven art-based service concepts were co-created with artists, entrepreneurs, and workshop participants. While play was not a primary focus, our chapter examines how elements of adult play—free and creative activity—emerged through artistic engagement. We consider how forests can offer spaces for imaginative experiences that challenge everyday norms and ask how play might motivate the integration of forest nature, culture, and art in sustainable service design. Rooted in art-based action research, the project worked in a site-specific, multidisciplinary way. Our analysis draws on photographic documentation and participant narratives, structured by natural science and cultural understandings of the forest. We argue that art and play offer alternative realities where new perspectives can emerge, ones that acknowledge environmental challenges and invite critical reflection through joyful, participatory engagement with forest ecosystems.