Stone Age camp attracts visitors in Kyläsaari near Helsinki

Tightly packed Kalasatama is one of Helsinki’s newest residential areas, making it hard to believe that just a stone’s throw away in Kyläsaari lies a camp where life is lived in a Stone Age manner. Aarni Korpela and his companion, known as “Fleda,” have just awakened to a rainy morning, staying dry under a tarp roof and wooden euro-pallet walls that form their makeshift shelter.

After crawling out of their tent-like structure, the duo sits down to prepare breakfast at a minimalist fire pit, akin to an outdoor kitchen. All the items in the camp have been sourced from what others have discarded, while food is gathered from nature and trash bins. Anything they cannot find is purchased from stores with bottle deposit money. “The Stone Age mindset is about navigating the landscape and living off what you find. We wanted to explore how that fits into the modern world,” Korpela explains.

This initiative is part of an artist community project called the Hunter-Gatherer Initiative by Höyhentämö, now in its fourth edition this year. The community describes the project as a communal experiment and a utopian art endeavor. It aims to showcase the richness of the surrounding nature while also critiquing consumption. Visitors are welcome to join the camp or participate in its organized excursions.

Daily life at the camp revolves largely around searching for food and supplies. Despite the seemingly unkempt surroundings, Korpela insists that the biodiversity is rich. “In that grass patch, I can find at least ten edible plants,” he says. They have attempted fishing with limited success, and rainy Finnish summers pose additional challenges, but the camp is well-organized, with food stored securely to fend off clever animals.