“In nature, we meet ourselves”

In your own words, what is Privat Natur?

Some years ago, my family and I started to get closer to nature and discovered that we felt extremely good when we were out there – not just as individuals but as a family. So for the first time ever, I started to take photographs privately – not because I wanted to publish them, but because I wanted to capture these moments that we had together in nature. 

Privat Natur is a depiction of the relationship humans have with nature and modern outdoor life. In this case, the humans are myself and my family. For seven years, I photographed my own and my family’s interactions with nature. 

After a few years, I saw that there was a bigger story to tell which was based on how we relate to nature. What impact does nature have on us and what traces do we leave behind? When we were out there, we discovered that we weren’t just ‘in nature’ but we met ourselves. Because in nature, we can meet ourselves and understand what it means to be human. That’s what I want to convey in Privat Natur.

Nature also allows for a sense of community, a kind of closeness and intimacy. It’s this aspect that I wanted to share: my family’s encounters with nature, what we’ve experienced and the contemporary issues and questions that have become relevant in our time. 

An important issue discussed in the book relates to the conflict between protecting nature and making sure it’s accessible for all. What are your thoughts on getting this complex balance right?

In my view, it’s incredibly important that we respect and protect the right to roam law in Sweden, known as Allemansrätt. For me, it’s fundamental for Swedish society. We have something unique that gives everyone the ability and opportunity to go into nature, no matter your financial or social status.

The huts made available by the Swedish Tourist Association, for example, are a fantastic resource and the trails surrounding them mean that people with relatively little outdoor knowledge can hike safely and securely without the need to bring a lot of equipment. This is a great gateway to learning more about nature. 

However, there is a lack of knowledge about how to act and behave in nature which is something that could threaten our right to roam, so it’s important that we spread knowledge and education about outdoor life. For instance, the importance of taking trash home with you or how to relieve yourself properly in nature. For many who are new to nature, it can be hard to know what to do. I don’t see a problem with many people visiting nature. The problem is how people act in nature.

Another problem is the extent to which nature is being commercialised. Is it reasonable to take a helicopter to the top of Sweden’s highest mountain? I think it's reasonable to question these things. Instead, we should encourage people to pursue their ambitions independently, with the right equipment and safety measures in place so that they educate themselves on how to act in nature while they’re out there.

Today, there are several interest groups that want to put certain limits on the right to roam, which is shocking to me. For example, there’s interest in the requirement to seek permission and pay to visit the Swedish mountains. We may find ourselves with a US approach, where things need to be paid for and booked far in advance, which means far fewer people would have access to nature. It’s a problematic situation at the moment, but I think it’s reasonable and important that we have a dialogue – one that doesn’t just involve interest groups. These issues should involve all of us as citizens.

How do you think contemporary art photography can contribute to these important issues?

First and foremost, I hope that the exhibition and the book will motivate and inspire more people to build their own relationship with nature. For me, anyone who has a relationship with nature can always live a rich and active life, regardless of their position in society. I also hope that Privat Natur gives people more information and knowledge about the right to roam and the public right of access to nature. Finally, this project is about creating awareness and getting people engaged in a debate around the issues involved in the project. I think it’s important that these discussions are conducted on a broad level, which is why I hope that this kind of project can promote the benefits of outdoor life in addition to making people understand the importance of how we act in nature.

Was Privat Natur a project from the beginning or did something in particular spark the idea for the project later on? 

There was no project when I started taking the photographs. I simply wanted to remember these moments we had as a family, and I wanted my children to be able to look back at these memories that for my wife, Jennie, and I have been extremely meaningful. But when I saw a bigger story evolve, which related to our relationship to nature – how we engage with and experience it – we decided to turn the photographs into a project and dive deeper into the questions that came up. 

But it all arose from the discovery that we simply loved to be in nature as a family. In nature, you experience tiredness, hunger, satisfaction, energy, adrenaline, calmness, harmony – and I think at its best, you see these experiences in the photographs. We hiked, camped, kayaked, cycled. That’s why we made a lifestyle change and moved north to a small village called Duved in Jämtland. It enabled us to have nature around the corner and avoid travelling far distances to get to it. I also thought it would be interesting to be in an environment that had so much meaning for the people who lived there. Many people who live in the north of Sweden have either actively chosen to stay or moved specifically to the area because they value nature and cherish the rich outdoor life that you gain up there.

Have you always had such a close connection to nature?

I grew up in the Swedish mountains – in a little hamlet called Stora Blåsjön in northwest Jämtland, a few kilometers away from the Norwegian border. It lies far away from any big roads or cities. My parents ran a mountain hotel at the local ski resort, so I grew up skiing, fishing and generally being outside all the time. Eventually, I left Stora Blåsjön and ended up in Stockholm where, for a while, I lost my connection to nature. I was more interested in culture, politics and media. I loved going to museums, watching the latest movies and being part of bigger conversations. But when Jennie and I had kids, I wanted to give them the same upbringing that I’d had. It was through the kids that I found my appetite for nature again after many years.

There are wonderful contrasts in the book between epic landscapes and simpler family snapshots which others may recognise in their own photo albums. How did these family moments form such a variety of images?

All the photographs in Privat Natur are spontaneous. The approach was always to do things ‘for real’. And by constantly exposing ourselves to nature and challenging ourselves, different situations arose all the time. Of course, some days nothing would happen, and other days so much happened. The key was just to be there at the right time. So I photographed quite intensely because I wanted to find authenticity and intimacy in the photos. 

What’s so fun with doing a project like this with kids is that you can find yourself in quite surreal situations, because of course, kids are so full of life and have a huge array of feelings. That’s perhaps why this project has taken seven years – you can’t plan to shoot a whole day with kids! We simply decided to go out and do things together. In the end, there were 1.2 million photographs that needed to be reduced to just 200 for the book. It demanded time, but it has been very fun to do.

Which photograph stands out to you the most?

A photo that means a lot to me is one I took early on in this project when the boys were sleeping in a wheelbarrow. We were on our way back to our accommodation after a party in the archipelago outside Stockholm. The boys had been sleeping for a long time, and we laid them in a wheelbarrow and started walking through the forest. We came to a clearing and, since it was summer in Stockholm, it was still light outside, so I stopped to take this photo. It’s just a beautiful photo to me. They look safe and harmonious.

What have you learned through creating Privat Natur?

My family and I have learned a lot about ourselves. We’ve gained an understanding of how we operate, both as individuals and as a family, because nature has given us the opportunity to do something together. I think many families can feel a sense of frustration that we often do things in a solitary way, like looking at screens. But for us, as soon as we went outside and entered an environment that was so often fun, stimulating and exciting, something happened and everyone benefited from it. 

We’ve also learned that we need to protect Allemansrätten. The idea of heading out and being active in nature without needing to be a big landowner is fantastic. In turn, we’ve learned about all the conflicts that are out there, and that’s something we’re continuing to learn about. For example, the questions surrounding travel. I’ve travelled a lot in my life, and I’ve enjoyed it. I come from a generation where travel was positive. To travel was to see the world, to meet new cultures, to understand our place in the world. Today, travel is heavily questioned and criticized, as it should be. This shift has been difficult for me, but we need to find a new approach. Will I stop travelling altogether? No. But I’ll certainly travel in a different way, where each trip must be justified, rather than travelling just for fun. It’s also about how we travel, what we eat, and where we stay. As a family, it’s a process that we’re very much in the middle of, as many others are, I’m sure.

There are many idyllic-looking family images in Privat Natur. Is this the reality? Do you ever have arguments about screen time and devices?

Oh, all the time! Look, we chose to offer the kids something different. But if you asked them to choose between going for a hike and playing video games, I think they’d choose to play video games. However, they have learned that when we do hike, it tends to be fun and something interesting tends to happen. But yes, we are met with resistance sometimes. They might have a breakdown on the ski slope and want to go home because they don’t think it’s fun anymore. And that’s fine. But I do think it’s also about being persistent and perhaps offering them another option when that happens.

What do you hope audiences take away with them from Privat Natur?

I hope people build their own relationship with nature. There are so many different ways to have a relationship with nature. For us, it has been about challenging ourselves, these mental and physical challenges have been important to us. But for others, it can simply be about moving in nature, being at peace. It’s up to each individual, but I hope more people go out and meet nature, and in turn, meet themselves in nature. 

I also hope that more people choose to leave their comfort zones. I know many people who want to do more things in nature but they feel that it’s uncomfortable. They’re not prepared to sleep in a tent or a mountain hut. They want it to be comfortable and secure. But it’s precisely when you leave your sense of comfort that interesting things start to happen. So I’d like people to challenge themselves. 

And finally, I hope that this project sparks more discussions about how we should act in nature and how we want to look after it, especially given the increased interest in nature that we’ve seen in the last few years. I don’t think it’s about closing or limiting access to nature. I think it’s about finding sustainable ways to be in nature together without conflict and acting in a way that’s for the long term, which means more knowledge and education.