From Backyard to Light: urban environment, nature, and children in a Finnish short film from the 1940s

Abstract

This paper focuses on an urban environment, nature, and children as visualised and presented in the Finnish short film From Backyard to Light (1940). The film depicts children's play and playgrounds that a city's Child Welfare Committee implemented in the surroundings of the capital city, Helsinki. This paper concentrates on how the film constructs the imagery of children in an urban environment and the representations of urban green spaces, e.g. parks and playgrounds, intended for children's well-being. The third aim of this paper is to discuss the representations of children's play and the gendered nature of sports and play.