{"id":28387,"date":"2026-06-19T19:30:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T01:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.landuum.com\/interventions\/languages-of-water-water-as-a-landscape-of-encounter-in-the-finnish-lakeland-region\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T19:30:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T01:30:46","slug":"languages-of-water-water-as-a-landscape-of-encounter-in-the-finnish-lakeland-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.landuum.com\/en\/land-escape-en\/languages-of-water-water-as-a-landscape-of-encounter-in-the-finnish-lakeland-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Languages of Water: Water as a Landscape of Encounter in the Finnish Lakeland Region"},"content":{"rendered":"

In <\/span>Languages of Water: Water as a Landscape of Encounter in the Finnish Lakeland Region<\/b>,<\/span> Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez (x-studio) invites us to reflect on the relationships between water, territory, and life, exploring how aquatic landscapes foster environmental awareness, collective memory, and forms of coexistence among the diverse forms of life that inhabit the territory.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Languages of Water explores the connections between water and territory within the landscape of the Finnish Lakeland Region, considered the largest lake district in Europe. This network of lakes, rivers, wetlands, and forests shapes a territory where water plays a fundamental role in ecological processes, biodiversity, and everyday life. Throughout the different seasons of the year, the transitions between the liquid and solid states influence this territory, manifesting themselves in the dynamics of species, human activities, and relationships with the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Secuencia de escalas territoriales que muestra la localizaci\u00f3n de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 en Finlandia, dentro de la Regi\u00f3n de los Lagos y en relaci\u00f3n con su sistema lacustre\/ Sequence of territorial scales showing the location of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 in Finland, within the Lakeland Region and in relation to its lake system
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

At the heart of this region lies Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, a city closely connected to Lakes Jyv\u00e4sj\u00e4rvi, Tuomioj\u00e4rvi, and Palokkaj\u00e4rvi. This lake system plays a fundamental role in the territorial structure and everyday life of the city. The lakes serve as spaces for gathering and connecting with the landscape, contributing to the physical and emotional well-being of their inhabitants while also supporting a great diversity of species and habitats. These bodies of water connect urban environments, forested areas, wetlands, and ecological corridors, forming part of a broader environmental network.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Vista a\u00e9rea de la Regi\u00f3n Finlandesa de los Lagos y fotomapa de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, destacando la presencia de lagos como elemento estructurante del territorio\/ Aerial view of the Finnish Lakeland Region and orthophoto map of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, highlighting the presence of lakes as a structuring element of the territory.
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Restoration Processes<\/b><\/p>\n

The relationship between the city and its lakes also reflects processes of environmental transformation that have taken place over recent decades. Various bodies of water that had been affected by industrial activities, particularly by the timber industry, have undergone ecological restoration, enabling the recovery of hydrological dynamics, the improvement of environmental quality, and the return of biological communities and habitats. These processes have reinforced the role of the lakes as active ecological systems that are fundamental to the city’s urban configuration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Environmental restoration processes strengthen the role of lakes as essential ecological elements in the urban landscape.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Seasonal Rhythms<\/b><\/p>\n

As the seasons change throughout the year, the relationships between the lakes, the city, and its inhabitants are constantly transformed. During the summer, the lakes become central settings for numerous activities that are part of the social and recreational dynamics of the local population. In winter, the formation of ice alters the uses, routes, and ways of inhabiting these landscapes, expanding the possibilities for interaction with the environment. At the same time, seasonal rhythms influence ecological cycles, bird migration routes, and the dynamics inherent to aquatic ecosystems.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Estacionalidades de los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4: paisaje lacustre durante el verano y el invierno\/ Seasonalities of the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4: lake landscapes during summer and winter
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Project Framework<\/b><\/p>\n

From these concepts emerges Languages of Water, a project developed at the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 during a research stay. The project examines how aquatic landscapes can foster the development of environmental awareness, shared narratives, and forms of coexistence between communities and ecological systems. From this perspective, lakes are understood as shared spaces where ecological processes and experiences connected to the territory converge. Their cycles and seasonal transformations reveal the relationships that connect biodiversity, culture, and urban life.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project examines how aquatic landscapes can foster the development of environmental awareness, shared narratives, and forms of coexistence between communities and ecological systems.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Diagrama conceptual de coexistencia en los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, que integra especies biol\u00f3gicas, din\u00e1micas estacionales, pr\u00e1cticas culturales y conocimientos locales relacionados al agua\/ Conceptual diagram of coexistence in the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, integrating biological species, seasonal dynamics, cultural practices, and local knowledge related to water
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Listening to the Languages of Water<\/b><\/p>\n

The research was carried out through in situ walks and mapping, complemented by interviews with researchers, biologists, specialists in environmental philosophy, and members of local communities dedicated to birdwatching. These walks and encounters, conducted at different times of the year, made it possible to understand how the lakes articulate relationships between species, habitats, and local communities, as well as the importance of ecological restoration for the recovery of biodiversity. In this way, water, ice, atmospheric conditions, and the movements of species reveal how seasonal transformations modify ecological dynamics and the ways in which these aquatic landscapes are perceived.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Esquema metodol\u00f3gico del proyecto Lenguajes del Agua\/ Methodological framework of the Languages of Water project
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Inhabiting Water: Visual Records<\/b><\/p>\n

As part of the process, the main characteristics of the biodiversity of lake environments were identified, including birds, fish, and mammals, whose species were subsequently studied and represented through a series of drawings that explored their relationships with the surrounding environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Representaci\u00f3n visual del ecosistema lacustre mediante dibujos a tinta\/ Visual representation of the lake ecosystem through ink drawings
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

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Cartograf\u00eda ilustrada de especies asociadas a los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, realizada mediante t\u00e9cnicas de tinta y acuarela\/ Illustrated cartography of species associated with the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, created using ink and watercolor techniques
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Likewise, the activities associated with the lakes during different seasons of the year were identified, and representations were developed of practices such as swimming, kayaking, sauna bathing, and other water-related activities, as well as winter practices including skiing, ice skating, ice fishing, and ice swimming, incorporating details about the ways in which the lake landscape is used, occupied, and experienced throughout the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Actividades desarrolladas en los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 durante distintas estaciones del a\u00f1o\/ Activities taking place in the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 during different seasons of the year
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

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Pr\u00e1cticas estacionales vinculadas a la observaci\u00f3n de aves y la pesca en hielo en los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4\/ Seasonal practices associated with birdwatching and ice fishing in the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Cartographies of Shared Experiences<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the project’s main activities consisted of developing narrative exercises with young inhabitants of the region. Using the outlines of the lakes as a starting point, the participants created personal maps that brought together memories, everyday experiences, meaningful places, and perceptions connected to water.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Desarrollo de cartograf\u00edas narrativas participativas sobre los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4\/ Development of participatory narrative cartographies of the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

These maps make visible the different relationships that people establish with the lakes. They include recurring references to recreational activities, social gatherings, everyday practices, and places associated with memories and personal experiences, as well as to species and seasonal landscapes. These maps make it possible to visualize how the lakes are part of everyday life, collective memory, and local identity, becoming territories where individual experiences and shared understandings come into dialogue.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Resultados de las cartograf\u00edas narrativas desarrolladas en torno a los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4\/ Results of the narrative cartographies developed around the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Narratives of the Aquatic Landscape<\/b><\/p>\n

Building on these approaches, the interviews, field walks, visual studies, and participatory activities generated a body of narratives and records that expanded the perceptions and meanings of the lakes from ecological, cultural, and social perspectives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dissemination: Dialogues with the Landscape<\/b><\/p>\n

With the aim of fostering dialogue with the landscape, the project was shared through two complementary approaches. The first took place in the lobby of Capitolium, the main building of the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, located on the campus designed by Alvar Aalto. The exhibition brought together a variety of records, studies, and cartographies developed throughout the research, in a space where architecture and landscape maintain a close relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Exposici\u00f3n del proyecto Lenguajes del Agua en Capitolium, Universidad de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, mostrando registros, estudios y cartograf\u00edas producidos durante la investigaci\u00f3n\/ Exhibition of the Languages of Water project at Capitolium, University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, presenting records, studies, and cartographies produced during the research
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

At the same time, the project expanded through a series of drawings of lake fauna, temporarily integrated into different points across the territory. By returning to the environment that gave rise to them, these drawings established a direct dialogue with the lakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Serie de ilustraciones de especies lacustres instaladas temporalmente en los paisajes de los lagos de Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4\/ Series of illustrations of lake species temporarily installed within the landscapes of the lakes of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4
Fotograf\u00eda\/Photography: Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez<\/p><\/div>\n

Reflexions of water<\/b><\/p>\n

Languages of Water: Water as a Landscape of Encounter in the Finnish Lakeland Region<\/b> explores how aquatic landscapes can foster environmental awareness, collective memories, and forms of coexistence among the different forms of life that inhabit the territory. The project proposes understanding lakes as ecological and territorial agents, as well as spaces of experience, memory, and encounter.In this sense, the project invites reflection on the relationships between water, territory, and life, and on the possibilities for coexistence that exist within these landscapes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bio<\/b><\/p>\n

Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez | x-studio<\/span><\/p>\n

Landscape architect, artist and educator. His work explores interactions between territory, culture and ecology through site-specific projects developed in diverse environmental and cultural contexts, integrating research, design, participation and artistic creation<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Languages of Water: Water as a Landscape of Encounter in the Finnish Lakeland Region, Iv\u00e1n Ju\u00e1rez (x-studio) invites us to reflect on the relationships between water, territory, and life, exploring how aquatic landscapes foster environmental awareness, collective memory, and forms of coexistence among the diverse forms of life that inhabit the territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":28386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-land-escape-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t