The big loss, a photo from Uppland, Svealand

Photographer's Note

For three days last week this installation of wooden slabs was displayed in a small square in Stockholm's Old Town, Gamla stan, at the corner of the Royal Palace.

The installation was called "Den stora saknaden" (The Big Loss) and was dedicated to the thousands of young migrants or refugees who arrived in Sweden in 2015–16 but were eventually not allowed to stay. Most of them had already started a new life here before they were denied residence, usually after several years of slow bureaucracy. They had to seek refuge somewhere else, or were deported back to where they came from.

A number of them chose to take their own life rather than being sent back to Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq, where most of them had started their long journeys to Sweden.

The installation was created by Swedish-Dutch multimedia artist Marit Tцrnqvist (born in 1964), living in Amsterdam but maintaining close contacts with Swedish society, especially engaged in projects to ameliorate the conditions for Afghan refugees.

The hundreds of wooden slabs used for the installation showed messages to missing refugees from former friends, foster parents, schoolmates or others who had known them and loved them.

In the WS is an alternative angle and a close look at one message.

The Map: view will show you approximately where these photos were taken.

ChrisJ, ikeharel, pajaran, pierrefonds, worldcitizen, mcmtanyel, jemaflor, COSTANTINO, ktanska, aliabazari, jean113, adramad has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ChrisJ (172378) 2022-07-01 0:27

Hi Gert

It's the same story here. Many refugees were incarcerated in detention camps offshore on neighboring islands or imprisoned in detainee hotels in the large cities. Some of them have moved to Canada and the USA, tired of waiting for the slow moving wheels of bureaucracy. Others succumbed to poor medical services or suicide. But at least Sweden has publicly acknowledged that there is a problem, unlike Australia, at least until the recent change of government here. For every bad refugee, I am sure you will find that there are thousands more who did or do fit in well and contribute enormously to society. Australia just appointed it's first two Muslim Ministers in government, ever.

Fis2 (171849) 2022-07-01 0:27

Witaj Gert!
Excellent set of photos from square.
I like frames and colors.
Interesting story about this installation.
Good repportage work!
HAve a nice day.
Krzysztof

ikeharel (114499) 2022-07-01 0:36

Hello Gert,
Migration is centuries old stories, people moved from their native places since the beggining of the human race. But on modern times the bureaucracy added to the agony of changing living and livelyhood.
Nice documentary on this issue.
Best regards,
Ike

Silvio1953 (222811) 2022-07-01 0:41

Ciao Gert, lovely composition with woman admmiring original istallation, excellent clarity, wonderful colors, splendid light and fine details, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

pajaran (116971) 2022-07-01 0:59

Pozdrav.

Lep pogled, interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lpe drvene plocice sa porukama, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom, perpsktivom i uhvacenim trenutkom.
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionici.

Zelim vam lep dana, sve najbolje.
Paja

pierrefonds (115462) 2022-07-01 5:09

Hi Gert,

You have captured well the concentration of the person looking at the slabs. The point of view is showing the details of the slabs. There is a similar situation in Canada, many immigrants asking for refugee status after 3 or 4 years of waiting are deported. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jmdias (116373) 2022-07-01 10:21

gert

a pity I am not able to read the messages, I presume many of them are lovely and sad.
this matter is very hard because the number of people arriving is big and increasing and sometimes the other country has not no much social structure to absorve them and some of them don't get adaptation to this new society.
few days ago I was reading about 400,000 brazilians living in portugal (10 millions of portuguese)and the troubles they are facing there and bringing to them too. and brazilians and portuguese are partners of the same religion, history and culture.

take care

jorge

Tue (93340) 2022-07-01 10:51

Hej Gert,
Et godt billede med kunstvжrket der minder om de mange som ikke mеtte blive og det vжrste er jo at beslutningen tog sе lжnge at de allerede havde boet i Sverige (eller Holland, det er ikke anderledes her desvжrre) i et stykke tid. Kvinden i forgrunden er godt kommet med og jeg kan godt lide de varme farver af trжskiltene og slotsvжggen. Jeg kender godt navnet Marit Tцrnqvist som illustrator for bшrnebшger.
Lars

worldcitizen (16226) 2022-07-01 12:51

Hello Gert,
How sad it is that all people are not seen just as fellow human beings, but get caught in political fights, especially when they are most in need of compassion. This is a simple but powerful installation. I wonder where all these pieces of wood will end up after the exhibit is over...

dedee (3235) 2022-07-01 14:19

Hi Gert
A very well photographed image. And an image which also contains a very important message.
David

lousat (139926) 2022-07-01 14:36

Hi Gert,certainly a bad page in contemporary history, but it is only a small part of what happened in Italy, thousands of drowned deaths during the crossing but also a real invasion of which we often pay the consequences regarding safety and public order, especially in the big cities'. A curious demonstration with 3 beautiful photos and which certainly will not have met the favors of far-right politics. Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

PiotrF (55892) 2022-07-01 15:19

Hello Gert,
Interesting installation of wooden slabs . Thank you for informative note about the installation and artist Marit Tцrnqvist.
Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

mcmtanyel (69127) 2022-07-01 17:39

Hello Gert,
I would probably change the genre to "people." The photo is more about people than the place. There is a person looking at the wood blocks and each block is representing a person. But that's just my opinion.
Regards,
MT

jemaflor (148146) 2022-07-01 23:25

Hi Gert,
interesting views and idea for an original street exhibition about all these people, well photographed with your photo and WS, perfect sharpness, tfs.

COSTANTINO (117700) 2022-07-01 23:45

Hello my dearest Gert
have a pleasant new day
another impressive photo
with great originality
its a very sad story indeed...
I am feeling so sad looking at
these wooden slabs used for the
installation showed messages
to missing refugees from
former friends...
its a real sad story...
regards
Costantino

ktanska (45046) 2022-07-02 1:13

Hej Gert,
Impressive installation. Each slab tells a real story and that makes this important. You shot this from good angle. Brown tones of wood match surprisingly well with the wall.
Kari

ifege (49325) 2022-07-02 22:49

Hi Gert
3 good photos of this this sad saga that I wasn't familiar with. We've had some similar episodes, the most recent being a Sri Lankan family the our previous government tried everything to deport. Our new government has set them free to return to the town where they had made a new life.
cheers
Ian

aliabazari (23171) 2022-07-04 1:15

Hello Gert
A beautiful view of this street fair. Sharpness and exposure are well done as always. good text The view of the workshop is well shown. Thanks for sharing

jean113 (28251) 2022-07-04 9:04

Hello Gert, a thought provoking picture, which gratefully your notes explain very clearly.
Here, the inclusion of the young woman works so well in the composition, she looks down and leads our eyes down with her interest.
I like the diagonal line stretching right across the picture; it makes us realise how many people have been involved, and this is probably just the tip of the iceberg!
Kind regards, Jean.

adramad (73414) 2022-07-06 9:37

Hi Gert.
A note that explains this image very well, as well as the other two of the WS, without it we would not understand the meaning of this exhibition, very sad this whole world of refugees that does not stop increasing day by day, your work that we can classify as report, highlights this drama in your country, which is similar in many others, what I see as worse is that this deportation is done when they are already integrated or in process.
Sharpness, lighting and color are well managed.
Good work.
You have a good day. Very best regards.
Luis.