In his collection of poems Mattoidens sånger published posthumously in 1914, Gustaf Fröding was interested in the inner voice of the living and the non-living. In various poems, he explored the song of the stone, the snail, the ant, the rain and the sunshine. Based on a contemporary post-humanist and eco-philosophical discussion, which concerns the importance of the voices of the more-than-human in a sustainable ecosystem, Fröding’s thoughts seem highly relevant today. In the poem Elementarande, Fröding expresses a desire to leave his self and merge with the elements:
Elementarande
Han kunde ej mera förnimma
sig själv såsom jag och förnuft,
han blev till en irrblossdimma,
han kände en ljuvhet att simma
i månljus vid midnattstimma
som fukt och som skimmer och luft.
”I träd vill jag susa,
i gräs vill jag gro,
i fors vill jag brusa,
i hög vill jag bo,
i lunden sväva
kring ättehögen
invid älven där näckbladen vila.”
In my drawing and site-specific installation Fröding’s Beard (Joins the Elements), 2023, for Alster Manor, I have been inspired by a photo of Fröding taken at Ulleråker hospital where he stayed from 1899 to 1905. In the photo, his beard is large and fluffy, almost like a bird’s nest. With this work, I imagine that Fröding’s beard joins the elements along with the wind, birds, sunshine and rain.
Part of the group show In the Forest curated by Gabriella Menerwa Kaasinen, Janove Ekstedt and Miriam Kaukosalo
