Behind the image

The shadowy reflection of a red squirrel

The world is increasingly dominated by human activities – by homes, agriculture, industry – yet nature often survives at the edges of human life. So it is in the forests of southern Finland, where many houses have been abandoned. Two decades ago, Kai Fagerström began visiting deserted buildings near his family cottage in Suomusjärvi.

A trail of badger footprints led Kai to this dilapidated croft. “It was once home to a family of 12,” he recalls. “But the last generation of children moved to cities to work, and when the parents passed away around 40 years ago, it was left empty.” By the time Kai first visited the house, its roof was collapsing, its windows were broken; badgers had dug beneath and into the cellar, causing sections of the floor to collapse and allowing access for various creatures. Inspired, Kai decided to photograph wildlife here and in four other deserted houses in the area.

Waiting game

“I plan each picture in my head, set up my camera outside a broken window or door, compose the shot, then just wait. Sometimes it succeeds; usually not,” he reflects, wryly. “It took me five years to capture my first picture of a badger. It’s difficult, because mammals have a very good sense of smell.”

Kai has photographed a variety of animals: foxes, martens, pygmy owls and red squirrels, the last of which he attracts with nuts. Eight years ago, he captured this haunting image of a squirrel, its shadowy reflection like a hazy memory of the house’s erstwhile inhabitants.

“These deserted homes tell stories about past lives, when there was no hurry or greed,” Kai muses. “There is no going back to that time – but, on the other hand, we see how nature takes back places that were merely borrowed by humans.”

S I set up my camera outside a broken window or door, compose the shot, then just wait. T