The project examines one of the most internationally renowned and studied cultural heritage sites in Finland, Paimio Sanatorium and its surroundings, as everyday heritage and everyday nature. Currently, the sanatorium, designed by Aino and Alvar Aalto, is on UNESCO's updated World Heritage Tentative List. However, the sites' local significance and impact on local community is largely unrecorded and unexamined. In the project the sanatorium and its surroundings are examined using ethnographic, participatory, and arts-based methods. The project offers insights into how local actors shape heritage practices and prepare for future changes and not just adapt to these. Despite its locality, the project addresses current global issues, such as the commercialization of heritage sites and culturally sustainable tourism and heritage management, and proposes new ways to endorse these. The research is conducted at the School of History, Culture, and Arts Studies, University of Turku.

2026

2030