Captured - Fractions of life

CAPTURED FRACTIONS OF LIFE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

“

The photograph is a reproduction of reality that gives insight to life.

Eight photojournalists present fractions of life in diverse approaches and perspectives. The stories are the result of a curiosity to explore

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different aspects of life.

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CHRISTIANIA TOMAS COCHELLO NEVERLAND MARI BASTASHEVSKI

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MODERN VIKINGS NICK KIRKPATRICK

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LIFE STORY ANAHIT HAYRAPETYAN

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ANOTHER TESTAMENT HENRIK MALMSTRÖM LIFE STINKS ANTONIA ZENNARO

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CONSTRUCTED WILDERNESS LENE MÜNCH FINDING PETER DARREN LUM

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table of contents

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NEVERLAND MARI BASTASHEVSKI

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neverland mari bastashevski

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B

y definition adventure is comprised of seeking thrill through risky, or uncertain experiences, in hopes of an unwarranted reward. The catch is, it sends adrenaline or endorphin hormones to our brain, creating a psychological and physiological arousal either

through overwhelming fear or joy. Most of us are predisposed to adventures as children, but as we get older we learn to calculate the dangers more diligently and coat ourselves in habits of comfort and inertialess routine. In search of adventure as grown ups we often attempt to

reason adequately and make decisions in ways we think will, if not ensure our chances for reward, then minimize the risks involved in the pursuit.

Søren Bramsted dedicated his life to seeking out adventure when he opened a piratethemed boutique in the center of Copenhagen. The idea of conceptualizing a pirate theme into a product was concieved in a conversation with a Norwegian Publisher, Aneline. It’s a straightforward concept. The store offers a variety of gadgets, visually recognizable from bestseller novels and the Caribbean trilogy: Johnny Deep headscarfs, swords, letter bells, Norwegian pirate band drinking songs compilation, scull-shaped rings and chains, a recyclable Whiskey bottle with a snake trapped inside, and several copies of collected pirate stories completed by Søren himself in collaboration with two others. Despite of the location, and prewading flare of adventure, the items do not sell swiftly.

To make ends meet Søren combines jobs. He writes short stories on request and in the evenings uses the shop space for open-to-improvisation reading aloud gat-together. He also holds adventure-styled festivities for children who are immensely found of his company.

Sometimes they say “You’re not a real pirate!” But he just smiles and retorts “Are you sure?

Prove it!” Søren believes adventure is what you make yourself.

British philosopher Peter Strawson argues that it is an “undeniable human tendency” to see ourselves as free and responsible human beings in charge of our destiny, and character traits that shape us. On the contrary his son, Galen Strawson, vigorous advocate of determinism, suggest “You cannot make yourself the way you are.” That most of us, at least some of the time believe that our gains, as well as our losses and misshapes, are shaped by the environment and heredity that is larger than us and outside of our control.

The question is obvious: Are the adventures Søren lives results of planning and meticiouscalculation, or are they shaped by serendipity, strings of events leading to the adventure per chance?

neverland mari bastashevski

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neverland mari bastashevski

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Søren Bramsted July, 1964 March, 1972

Is born Gets pair of first eye-glasses and “could suddenly see the birds in the trees in the neighbors garden”.

August, 1978 September, 1978 August, 1986

Notices Henriette walk into the classroom.

Uses a condom for the first time.

Amazed at chirpering of grass-hoper in Lloret De Mar, Spain.

December, 1987

Stumbles into an old danish friend outside of a post office on a deserted walkway in Cairo.

August, 1987

Watches James Bond, “Never say never again” in the cinema in Cairo.

August, 1991

Gets arrested for attempting to cross the Finish-Russian boarder on the bicycle without a visa.

September, 1994

Receives a fee for telling a fictional hunt-

April, 1996

Met the future wife, Marianne. Both work-

September, 1996

Father dies from a week prior to the sched-

ing story at an Østebro school. ing in the kindergarden at the time. uled bypass operation at the age of 62.

January, 2000 November, 2000

Mother dies, possible cause: smoking.

Feels deeply proud of his son, Willium who uses a broomstick to reach for a ball.

June, 2004 November 2004

Eats liver ice-cream in Holbeak, Denmark Mets Aneline, a Norwegian book publisher at a book fare.

April, 2006

Splits up with Marianne over a number of unsolvable differences.

September, 2009

Receives a phone-call notification of a first suicide attempt of a close friend, Mikkel.

neverland mari bastashevski

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LIFE STINKS ANTONIA ZENNARO

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Thirty kg pigs wait to be sold to other farmers. They are slaughtered when they weigh 100 kg.

life stinks antonia zennaro

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A sow on average gets pregnant three times a year. Each time she gives birth to approximately 16 piglets, which one to two die each time.

Fourteen piglets per sow is more than the European average.

W

hen I am driving through Denmark all I see are the huge fields, green and brown, under the wide grey sky with lost big farms in the middle of it. I rarely see people there, but I can smell the pigs. I asked myself how the farmers are surviving in a

state where a lot ignores the farmers and its way of life.

Visiting the Danish farmers houses I have discovered what they deal with, and choose to

tear out a little fragment of life of this big farming issue: the life of pigs.

The farmers have to find a bank, which trusts them to give high credits at affordable interest rates.

Because of the over industrialization of the farming industry, making a living as a farmer means you have to be a good businessmen. The system works on quantity. There is not a lot of time for dreaming. Time, prices and quality have to be balanced. There is no time, there is no money, so quality is diminishing. There is only the pressure not to fail.

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According to Danish statistics 64 percent of the danish land is used for farming. Eight percent of the population are farmers. What they produce is three times higher then the consumption of the country.

life stinks antonia zennaro

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Djursland, Hyllested On this farm, Rasmus, 31 years, follows his dream, growing pigs on his own farm.

After putting himself in debts buying the farm from his father, he innovated the entire farm to be able to join the market.

He has 578 sows, each gives birth to 27 piglets a year. Most of them are exported to the United Kingdom.

Every second day 50 sows are inseminated. They receive 100 grams of semen artificially. The best semen is expensive but it contains 80 percent of female embryos.

Breeding females is more convenient for a farmer. They taste better, have less fat, and are an excellent reproducing source. “The pregnant sows are the treasure of the farm,” laughs Rasmus caressing one of them.

Male piglets have a harder life to bear.

After becoming sexually active their meat is impossible to sell because it smells and tastes bad. The solution is castration. Few weeks after their birth they cut out the porcine testes with an iron claw and throw them useless on the floor.

Rasmus controls approximately 16.000 pigs a year. He puts them into the market system, and trades them with the risk of loosing profit, What he mustn‘t loose is the trust of his bank. The money we earn goes all back to pay the interests of the bank”, but credit is the only way to continue on with farming.

Small farmers must choose to grow or shut down. Large and rich farmers are on the fast lane. The decision doesn’t belong even to the farmers itself but it rests with the state. The competition is high.

Nevertheless at the end of a day, the pigs must be healthy, the export must be sustained at reasonable costs and the clients well-fed.

life stinks antonia zennaro

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To prevent deseases piglets and sows are fed with medicine.

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“

If we want to survive we have to go with the market, being slaves of the system.

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life stinks antonia zennaro

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CHRISTIANIA DU HAR MIT HJERTE TOMAS COCHELLO

Still under a global crisis we fail to look on our social behavior, and to deepen on moral and ethical aspects of our society. Might this be the reason why I walked into Christiania.

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T

he place is unique, with rich and vivid history, and reputation for its charisma and

Loui, Renata, and Karsten, and Rene,

standout, particular way of life. For me contemporary Christiania is a place where it is

and Jakob allowed me to follow them around

possible to muse on the nostalgic connection and values of time between the past, the

Christiania and further into the dept of the

future, and to understand parallel and alternative ways of life people lead.

melancholic

wilderness

that

sorrounds

Christiania was born in the 70s, but its past history dates to the 18th century. Where it

it. They motivated me to explore the visual

used to be a military base until the end of World War II. After that the place was abandoned

aspects of the very awareness and energy

and only found social interest when the neighbors of town decided to make use of the green

that keeps Christiania united and alive, still

area. Since then it came to life in a form of a social experiment towards allowing the com-

suffering.

munity to be autonomous under their mission statement:

.

The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the wellbeing of the entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and physical destitution can be averted.

christiania – du har mit hjerte tomas cochello

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Rene In his book “The Lord of the Flies” William

Rene was born in Jutland and moved into

Golding discusses how culture created by

Christiania to live within the community. He

man fails He explains how people failed to

references the work of William Golding while

govern a place that was meant to be the

explaining the transition and transformation

ultimate paradise on earth At an allegori-

occuring in Christiania in the recent years.

cal level, the main theme is the conflicting

Community way of life was always Christi-

impulses towards civilization (live by rules,

ania’s strongest argument, but the pressure

peacefully and in harmony), and towards

to take control of and rule the place had a

the will to power. Other themes include the

negative affect on some of the fragments of

tension between groupthink and individu-

Christiania. “Christiania as a community, a

ality, between rational and emotional reac-

Lion”, says Rene “The community should be

tions, and between morality and immorality.

preserved”.

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Renata “There will always be people like us� Renata

me that the living conditions in Christiania

told me, when I first decide to enter Christi-

had deteriorated. Winter is hard, the need to

ania through getting to know its inhabitans.

keep the house warm requires a lot of ef-

Born in Austria in 1956 she moved into Chris-

fort and the winds are getting stronger. As

tiania during the eighties. She is now living

well, there are fewer dogs than it used to

together with her 14 year old daughter, Fiona

be, and the lake is so contaminated it’s not

and her boyfriend Karsten who has been

apt for swimming. Her energy, still calm, and

living in Cristiania when wildrness was still

sincere personality is what unite all of those

unblemished. Her house is dusty and warm;

living like her.

with plants lined up against the window it resembles a winter garden. She also told

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Karsten Karsten thinks Christiania serves a purpose of mirroring the Danish Society, that it’s a mirror of Copenhagen. He believes that some alterning aspects of a moral code and ethics that dominate the living standards outside, peers into Christiania. Years ago he owned, one of the most ancient and rich in natural resources within textile industry, hemp products shop. He says the shift of political leadership in Denmark towards the right brough complication to Christiania and its way of life. He is now considering the opportunities of global communication that Internet offers to raise a strong voice towards bringing common ideas together for human and cultural understanding.

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Jakob Jakob’s a gardener of Christiania and works over squatter buildings. The chance to be parto of the movement makes him proud. He believes strongly in the strenght of this community and values deeply the ideals that made it so. He enjoys being autonomos, and intends to share his knolwdge and understanding with the newer behavioral patterns among inhabitants of Christiania.

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“

Here, invisible yet strong, was the

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taboo of the old life.

William Golding, Lord of the Flies.

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FINDING PETER DARREN LUM

The identity challenges for Korean adoptees in Denmark is a marathon of soul searching.

H

e cannot ignore what he sees in the mirror and no amount of Smørrebrod is going to change that.

The first thing people notice about Peter

Sung Kristensen, 23, is the colour of his skin and the shape of his brown eyes.

However Sung Kristensen has never been to Asia, let alone his ancestral homeland of Korea. He is one of more than 9.000 Korean adoptees in Denmark, the majority of which came in the mid-80s.

He came to Denmark as a three-monthold in 1986 and has faced identity challenges all of his life, dealing with the dual nature of his personality.

He was adopted by two working class parents that raised him in the small town of Thyregod, located south west of Århus with a population of less than 1,600 people.

Sung Kristensen is a graduate student at Århus University, studying European Studies.

He speaks Danish, English and French and despite this knowledge and interest he believes some do not see him as a European, let alone a Dane.

This page: Korean adoptee Peter Sung Kristensen is coming to terms with his Korean ancestry.

Opposite page: Sung Kristensen and his girlfriend Ane Rin Kibsgaard embrace in downtown Århus.

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One of thousands When you’re only one of several thousand

Sung Kristensen is no longer facing these challenges alone. In the last two years he

adoptees it’s hard to know who you are by

has come to terms with this and became a member of the International Korean Adoptees

looking around a nation identified by the

Association (IKAA), which has broadened his perception with greater encounters of oth

blonde haired and blue-eyed people.

Early on in life right up until a few years ago he suppressed the Korean side to his personality, ignoring his ancestral roots. He dated only Scandinavian girls, believing they were the “pinnacle of beauty”, spoke Danish, and ate mainly Danish food.

Compounded by his abandonment issues of being an adoptee, his identity has

ers living life as a Korean adoptee. It led him to his current Korean adoptee girlfriend, who has been going through her own journey to learn about her Korean heritage.

He has developed his understanding of Korean culture by educating himself about its history, culture and language with movies, literature and weekly Korean speaking classes.

This interest was sparked in Britain. In 2007 while studying in London at the University of Greenwich on a visit to Trafalgar Square he stumbled upon a Korean culture festival.

“It was completely unexpected. I didn’t know it was taking place. It was kind of a revelation. It’s a strong word to use, but nevertheless it induced a sense of curiosity in me that ultimately I decided to act on. I told myself I needed to explore this,” Sung Kristensen said.

always been incomplete because of this suppression though.

finding peter darren lum

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Korea trip

Home is where the heart is

A trip to Korea he said is inevitable to reconnect with his birth parents and to meet Koreans

Unlike immigrants in Denmark this coun-

who are born there – the “real Koreans”. The experience will broaden his awareness of his

try is the only place he knows as his home.

Korean family and his ancestral heritage.

The concept to refer to his ancestral coun-

“It would be the ultimate experience to go back and meet Koreans. They can elucidate me

try as his home is as foreign as the Korean

on different cultural issues, which I find interesting,” he said. “I hope to be able to immerse

language he has been learning for the past

myself into the culture and just get an impression of how Koreans think... generally, the

year.

thought and the idea is the main attraction.”

Top: Rikako Kanego, at left, speaks with Kristensen, at right, during a Friday bar hosted by the Århus University. Friday bar is a common Danish social affair at universities in Århus.

Right: Korean characters are written on a dry erase white board that includes the Danish words “to go” and “to come” during a weekly language class.

Next page: High school friend Ida Feltendahl greets Kristensen at a local grocery store in Århus.

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“When I go back to my parents’ place I

With five siblings in Korea, he’s curious

life was at the mercy of this one person,” he

go home. I know that place. I grew up there.

how they turned out and what they are do-

said. “Ultimately I have to be faithful that

That’s not the case with Korea. I only know

ing now, and believes a reunion will give him

she chose to give me up for adoption. At the

it through the literature and movies,” Sung

greater understanding of himself and the af-

same time I’m ambivalent towards what hap-

Kristensen said.

fect of being raised in Denmark.

pened. Obviously I’m grateful to be alive and

The ultimate question for many adoptees

From the adoption file Sung Kristensen

I was adopted to a country, which gave me

is whether they will look for their birth par-

learned his mother had considered abor-

all the opportunities today... no matter how

ents he said.

tion, but due to her religious beliefs it left her

you look at it. No matter how you conceptu-

“It’s something I want to do, but I don’t

with an adoption as an alternative she could

alize adoption. The bottom line is that you’re

know when,” he said. “That’s one of the

consider as a Catholic. Her hope was that a

abandoned, relinquished by people that are

questions you pose to yourself as an adop-

family from a Christian country adopts him

supposed to take care of you.”

tee: How do my parents look? How do they

he said.

speak? I would want to become familiar with their story. What have you been doing? Get familiar with their stories.”

This knowledge has left him always wondering, what if?

“It’s kind of strange to reflect on that my

He knows from the adoption records that his family couldn’t afford to keep him and was ultimately for the best, but he believes there was a consequence to his life.

finding peter darren lum

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Challenges faced “The price I’ve paid is that today there are

fit in, he regrets missing out on his Korean

uncertainties about my identity. At least [it’s

heritage.

what] I had when I was younger as a teenag-

“It would have been an advantage, ben-

er. There are certain things you don’t know

eficial to me if my parents had enlightened

of yourself,” Sung Kristensen said.

me on Korean cultural matters and Korean

Unlike his small town where everyone knew him and his family it was during visits

cultural issues,” he said.

Despite his own questions he knows his

to larger cities in Denmark such as Copen-

personality includes being an adoptee as

hagen where he was reminded of his ances-

much as he is Danish and Korean.

tral ethnicity. Chinese and Japanese people

“Being adopted is not an ethnicity. It’s

often stopped him in the street and tried to

not a culture, but it’s so significant you can’t

speak to him in their native tongue he said.

“I just ignored it and walked past them.

It made me embarrassed to be honest,” he said.

dismiss it as not being influential... applying that terminology I am Danish, but adopted,” he said.

As a young man he now feels grounded

When he was a teenager and questioned

with who he is and who he wants to become,

by strangers about his appearance he always

which includes the Korean side to his per-

felt he was on the defensive about a life he

sonality, but knows there are always people

never knew.

who will never accept him as Danish simply

“When you’re a teenager and people say

by the way he looks.

you look so Chinese, Japanese you want to

“People have to acclimatize to the fact

retaliate, but you can’t because you can’t

that there are people living in this country

say, ‘Oh, you look so Danish’,” he said. “You

that do not visually appear to be Scandina-

have blonde hair and blue eyes.”

vian,” he said.

Although he appreciates his parents’ efforts to raise him as a Dane, allowing him to

This page: Sung Kristensen enters his girlfriend’s flat.

Next page: He is tickledw by his girlfriend Rin Kibsgaard.

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finding peter darren lum

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ANOTHER TESTAMENT HENRIK MALMSTRÖM

To enter an unknown world, is like the walk, with thine eyes closed.

S

unday morning in the Århus Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay saints otherwise known as the Mormon church, the light falls through a square window in the roof. It’s ten o’clock and

it’s quiet, almost eerie. Now the first morning session starts, called a sacrament meeting. Todays talk is about missionary. Several men,

women and children listen to two girls from the United States talk about their mission in Denmark.

Sister Stewart and Sister Smith are on a one and a half year mission in Denmark. Sisters missions always last this long. Elders who are boys go on missions that last for two years. During a mission you are allowed to phone only your family twice a year, on Mothers Day and on Christmas. Once a week you can write an email or a letter.

“I really miss speaking to my family, but I have made this sacrifice, and my duty is to serve the Lord, so it is worth it,” says Sister Stewart.

A sunday school for children and a meeting for adults begins at 11:30. The adults speak about facing the global economic crisis.

“Usually these meetings are more spiritual, but today we chose to speak about something more relevant to world events,” says PalleBjørn Rosenkilde, the bishop of the Aarhus unit.

It’s two o’clock in the afternoon. The people are leaving the church. A man is carrying a small dog in his arms and is politely saying farewell to some of the members. They are happily responding. ”We had never seen him before, this was the first time he was here.

He is not a member, but we like to make people feel welcome here.

We hope he comes back,” says Kirsten Bokhonko.

The church is empty except for a young girl. She is playing the piano in the room where the sacrament meeting was held. She is practicing for her cousins wedding. Melancholic sounds of violins reach the ground level from downstairs. There are two other girls rehearsing some tunes for a future meeting. It appears very peaceful.

Have they found serenity?

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another testament henrik malmstrรถm

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Palle-Bjørn Rosenkilde, born into the church, Master of Marketing

Membership Facts

Paulo Albino, member since 1993, artist

Church Organization The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a worldwide religion. Church membership is currently over 13 million, with over half of the members living outside the United States.

Although Utah is often thought of as the home of the Mormons, only about 14 percent of the Church membership lives in Utah. With over 50,000 missionaries in 162 countries, Church membership continues to grow exponentially.

Missionary Work The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is actively involved in teaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, with more than 60,000 volunteer missionaries throughout the world.

Forever Families When a marriage is performed by Priesthood authority in a holy temple, it can last through eternity rather than “till death do you part,” enabling all family relationships to endure beyond the grave.

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Flemming Nielsen, member since 1989, Master of Law

another testament henrik malmstrรถm

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Alice Svensson, born into the church, medical student

“

The plan of (salvation) was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.

”

Alma 22:13

another testament henrik malmström

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Sister Smith, born into the church, nursing student

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Nikolai Ravn-Petersen, born into the church, school teacher

another testament henrik malmstrรถm

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“

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he

�

shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

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another testament henrik malmstrรถm

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CONSTRUCTED WILDERNESS LENE MÜNCH Zoos are created for conservation as well as to serve as educational facilities for researchers and leisure spaces for the general public. Is this the reality or just a facade?

T

he life of the modern zoo, although admirably developed in recent years, is still far from flawless. Contemporary zoos

are more than the sums of its enclosures – artificial sceneries which allow people to ex-

perience the nature and how we would love to experience it: a peaceful cooperation of diverse inhabitants of the earth in an idyllic natural environment with no visible fight for survival, or fear of being eaten. The zoo is a protective space, made from human hands, which seems to do well for all such as plants, animals and, above all, the people who walk like small gods through the self-created “Garden of Eden”.

Zoos should be a recreational leisure space for people. They promote the education of natural history and zoology. They pursue the natural conservation and protection of endangered species. These are academically led facilities for the contribution of scientific research, and, above all, to the study of animal behaviour. This zoo concept from the middle of the 20th century still exists today and accompanies the transition from the jail of exotic creatures to the idea of an academically guided Noah’s ark for threatened species.

Enforced change The change is not quite voluntary though. In 1973 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) forced zoos to operate differently. Zoos were not able to purchase exotic animals from traders, but had to breed the

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constructed wilderness lene m端nch

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“

If people feel sorry for the animals, the zoos have done something

”

wrong.

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species themselves. Today the European En-

In some cases the “preservation breeding” has succeeded. Bison and condors have sur-

dangered Species Programme (EEP) regu-

vived, thanks to zoos. However, the resources are so scarce that at most their focus can

lates which zoos may specialize, for example,

only be paid to the spectacular species. Little progress has also been made in education

in elephant breeding, rhinoceros breeding or

and within the scientific field of behavioral research. Zoo animals do not behave naturally in

tiger’s breeding.

captivity, which negates the research on animal behaviour. This is identified by their pacing

Conservationists and environmentalists

along the perimeter of their enclosures. Certainly, those who keep different species together

accelerated the change of the paradigm in

such as wolves and bears in the same enclosure might have the opportunity to learn about

the seventies and eighties when they edu-

behaviour, but this would never occur in the wilderness.

cated the public about how animals suffered in captivity. Behaviourists such as Jane

People want and need zoos

Goodall denounced the misery of great apes

Lets face the thuth: the people did not create the zoos to serve, primarily, the animals. They

in captivity. Reknown animal conservation-

created them for themselves. Animal rights activists deplore this instrumentalisation of the

ist, Bernhard Grzimek, showed his television

creatures and demand the radical abolition of the zoos. That’s a fanciful aim, but people want

audience how far the life behind bars is

and need zoos.

from liberty. Zoo visitors learned that when

The American evolution biologist Edward O. Wilson explains this with our instinctive af-

animals swayed for several hours it was a

finity to nature, the “Biophilie” theory. His theory states the survival of people is strongly

symptom of serious psychological problems.

dependent on their intimate closeness to nature, to their knowledge about its concealed

As a result the public started to feel sorry for

treasures and dangers. Heini Hediger, “father of zoo biology” (1908-1992) was the first to sup-

the animals. The visitor’s attendance of the

port Wilsons’ hypothesis on zoos: the people are cooped up in artificial urban areas. Hediger

zoos decreased, and under the pressure of

said they develop a physical hunger, which is satisfied by zoos. Here they gain a tangible

menacing bankruptcies the zoos remodeled

experience with animals – their movement, their expression, and their scent. This cannot be

and modernized. With considerable new ex-

delivered in books, on film, or television. People want not only to gawk, but also to feed and

penditure arrangements, they made efforts

stroke.

to create natural environments for the ani-

The long-term objective of zoos must be to bring human “Biophilie” and animal well-be-

mals, mimicking the very surroundings the

ing in harmony. It must realize that some species do not fit in the concept and do not belong

animals come from. The results are far less

in it. These might be the darlings of the public, the elephants, monkeys, and the big predators

glittering than the intention though, which is

whose life remains a torture, even in the most luxurious enclosure.

more for the visitors than the animals.

Beside other public darlings like elephants and monkeys, the polar bears count to the most problematic species to be kept in zoos.

Polar bears are used to rove through the ice deserts of the north gigantic districts – a million times bigger than every enclosure.

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MODERN VIKINGS NICK KIRKPATRICK

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modern vikings nick kirkpatrick

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T

he silence of the forest is broken by echoing battle screams as two groups of Vikings confront each other. It’s everything you would expect. Clashing swords, thrusting spears, and swinging axes. Looking closer, the signs of modern life become apparent.

Blue jeans, T-shirts, kneepads, cell phones, mouth guards, and helmets.

These are twenty-first century re-enactors, taking to the tradition of Denmark's more violent past, when Viking tribesmen, from the eighth to the eleventh century. They have not come for war, but for fellowship and fun – they share a deep love and appreciation for a now vanished culture, which has profoundly influenced Danish history.

There are many such groups who come together for mock battles in their spare time. The

ASK Viking combat group is the oldest re-enactment group in Denmark with a membership of nearly 700. In addition to studying the ancient Viking culture and participating in mock warfare, they make their own weapons, prepare traditional meals over open fire pits, and sometimes celebrate the ancient Pagan holidays. In addition to their twice-weekly practices, and the occasional more elaborately staged battles, they also entertain at birthday parties and special events.

Despite my initial idea, the attraction for many of the members is not a desire to escape into the past, but rather to give their modern-day lives meaning. In their everyday nine-tofive existence they are students, chiefs, craftsmen, athletes, performers, and educators, but on the field of battle, they are all of one tribe. They study and re-enact the past to help them connect with themselves and others in a more fundamental way. Beyond all of this, they do this for fun and for sport.

Ditte Kroner, an archaeology student and a Viking since 2002, loves the imagined roleplay and how it provides her the opportunity for a few hours a week to experience the Viking culture that she studies. She says, "It is the fascination of living with modernity; electricity, health, hospitals, and the Internet, etc. That drives my interest for the Viking age.� She also says though she lives with modern amenities she still strives to live her life in awe of the Viking way.

After hours of mock combat the group is covered in sweat, mud, and bruises. The warriors change into their modern clothes, check their cell phones, smoke a cigarette and converse. "Being a Viking is a lifestyle. You buy the whole package, but actually it is just another way of getting together over a couple of beers," says Kroner.

modern vikings nick kirkpatrick

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modern vikings nick kirkpatrick

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LIFE STORY ANAHIT HAYRAPETYAN

99 years old Vergene Choulian – story of life affected by genocide

T

he light, the melody of Luciano Pavarotti fills her living room and the bedroom. Her paintings are on the walls. The rooms are clean and simply furnished.

“I never can remember how to turn on this thing,” complains Vergene Choulian, referring

to the tape deck. “My son showed me many times but I forgot again.”

Vergene is a 99 years old Armenian woman living in Århus Localcenter. Her life changed after 1915 when the Turkish government implemented a state-sponsored genocide against

Armenians.

“We were going on the cart when we met someone who knew my father well, and he told us: if you go any further you will die so we returned home. Turkish people were killing Armenians. I still remember those voices. After that we couldn’t stay in our place. We had to decide where to move. Bulgaria, Greece... Where? We moved to Bulgaria.”

Vergene is telling her life story. She has three sisters and a brother. She says it was hard for her in Bulgaria because there were no Armenian schools. Her father wanted a good education for his children. She went to a French school. “I was reading a lot. I was very skilled.”

When she was younger she painted and she sewed dresses to make a living. She didn’t want a Bulgarian husband. She married late at the age of thirty five. “Everybody was saying don’t marry that man he is a bad person. I knew that as well, but I wanted to have an Armenian child so I married him,” says Vergene. After a year she gave birth to a boy, Garo. “I have a nice and clever boy that always I wanted,” says Vergene. Three years later she divorced and Garo hasn’t seen his father since. He was living in the United States.

When Garo was 10 years old Vergene made a hard decision leave him with her sister for an arranged adoption. It was for the sake of a better education. Now her son was living far from her in Budapest. He became a musician and travelled the world. When he turned twenty two he visited Denmark, and later moved to Århus with a group of friends. Vergene sent him a telegram a day before she arrived to Copenhagen. Then she came to visit him here, but there was no place for her in his flat. “I was living with my friends and we had to go to another country for a while,” says Garo. “I didn’t know what to do with my mum, so we put up a classified add: A woman 60 years old is looking for a man interested in relationship. Seven men replied the next day. I did not read Danish at that time, so I asked my friends to help me choose a friend for my mum. We found a man who was living in the countryside. I did not have the time to get to know him before introducing my mum, so I just took her along and we went to that man’s home.” says Garo.

“Mum, I will come back after few days,” says Garo. “When I returned she wanted to go home she was tired of cooking for her new man. Thing was... the guy got used to her presence.” Vergene went back to live with her son. Garo bought a four room flat and she stayed with him until he got married.

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Life carried on. Vergene found a sewing job at a textile factory, and before moving on with her a new family, Garo found a new home for her.

Together, Vergene and her son still speak Armenian, but she has learned French and Danish and speaks them both well.

Vergene is the oldest woman in a Lokalcenter. Garo, his wife Ula, and Vergene’s grandsons often visit her here. She is retired. She moves slower after an operation on her foot and uses a walker. Her daily life is peaceful and structured with some house work, cleaning and washing. She attempts diligently to continue with small house work. She is looked after by several nurses who come to visit her three or four times a day. There is also a phone or alarm she can press in case of an emergency.

“Garo live your life,” she says every time she sees him. “You are young and you have good health. Live your life!” She is by herself with her life and her memories, sometimes comfortable, sometimes reminiscing about the Turkish. She has not forgiven them for the genocide.

“For us they took our country. I was living there, and there was a small thin river and once I fell down in it.” She reminisces about her marriage, her husband’s family and Garo’s childhood.

She is still curious about Armenia, where she hasn’t been since 1915. “I always wanted to go to Armenia. Once we decided to visit… But we didn’t go.”

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LENE MÜNCH GERMANY LENEMUENCH.DE MAIL@LENEMUENCH.DE TOMAS COCHELLO Argentina tomas.cochello@gmail.com DARREN LUM Canada darrenlum.com darren_lum@hotmail.com ANTONIA ZENNARO Italy antoniazennaro.com ainotna7@gmail.com HENRIK MALMSTRÖM Finland henrikmalmstrom.com henrik@henrikmalmstrom.com MARI BASTASHEVSKI Russia bastashevski@gmail.com ANAHIT HAYRAPETYAN Armenia hayrapetyana@gmail.com NICK KIRKPATRICK United States nick-kirkpatrick.com nick@nick-kirkpatrick.com DESIGN & LAYOUT DESIGN & LAYOUT TEXT EDIT TEXT EDIT PHOTO EDIT PHOTO EDIT

© 2009 all images and content are copyright to their creators

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