Gotland 2011 (2011, 2021)

Gotland 2011 (2011-2021) series of 16 color photographs distilled with the help of AI. Dimensions vary.

Exactly ten years ago I had the privilege to stay on Gotland, in a small house next to the @gallerimagnuskarlsson there. I took hundreds upon hundreds of photographs, hacked wood, made fire, avoided mosquitoes.

It was a complex time and I realized a lot about myself and the people around me. Not all good.

I looked at the photographs again in the last few weeks and distilled three sets for this series. The first seven show a bright and sunny outside world i seemed to be able to photograph, the pictures are perhaps close to what we see with our eyes, except when approached they dissolve.

The following four images of the air, earth, sky or the water show what protected Gotland and what made it such a good place for ancient Vikings to live there. Their treasures are still being discovered. But their ingenuity and ability to adapt to nature as well. This is the most peaceful set, as I believe in the power of harmony with nature ancient people were able to achieve. The nordic people especially too. We can learn a lot from them still. That’s an even bigger treasure.

And the third set is what happened to me under the surface, I guess. A strange dance of darkness and complexity. Particles, perhaps sparks of something. It’s not easy to show what it all looks like. Social media of today is not quite made for this.

London, August 2021