The Bohuslän Archipelago
Just a few hours drive away from where I live you’ll find home to the beautiful Bohuslän archipelago. Beginning just north of Gothenburg and stretching all the way to the Norwegian border. I´ve visited this region many times before and I always feel a desire of coming back. To capture the idyllic archipelago; the wide rocky landscape and the thousands of lakes that co exists in the same circulation. Away from the sophisticated cities.
During summer season, the west coast of Sweden is usually heavy populated by tourists. So I travelled as soon as the season ended, which gave me the opportunity to see Bohuslän on my own. Hard winds and rapidly changing weather is common in this ever-changing coastal environment. I wanted to capture the water with almost no movement on the surface, and rooftops bare from snow that touched ground just a few days earlier. A challenging task that took its time.
The scenery is remarkable to witness from above. Small islands covered with fishing villages and picturesque huts, home to many people, surrounded by outstanding landscape and nature. The small islands and isles looks like an unfinished puzzle from above. With small pieces spread all over the sea, bare rocks of granite stretching to the surface of the North Sea, symmetrical patterns made by nature itself.
There is something very fascinating seeing a settlement populated by humans creating these amazing patterns. Perfectly arranged and colour coordinated from above. Abstract, yet familiar.
Although seeing this spectacular scenery, it left me with a mix of feelings. I had wanted to visit for a long time, just at the right conditions. And here I was, looking at this vibrant landscape where people from all over Sweden, during normal circumstances, come to relax and have fun. It was calm and quiet, the small isolated islands look similar to our interactions during this pandemic, restrained and guarded from each other. A sign of the times we are in, but also a sign of what is waiting for us.
