DOUBLE VOLUME RELEASE
ORDER THE DOUBLE VOLUME
Orders are handled directly by me. (Currently, all books are sold out, but the second edition is on its way.)
Just send me an email at brattaberg@yahoo.com
The price is 70 EUR plus shipping.
Once I receive your message, I’ll send you my bank details or PayPal address for the transfer.
Thank you!
INSIDE THE DOUBLE VOLUME
Ein dagur á súluveiðu
Ein dagur á súluveiðu - A Day on the Gannet Hunt. This first volume is a black-and-white duotone photo essay capturing a day of traditional gannet hunting on the island of Mykines.
Mykines – Á sýnuni
Mykines, Á sýnuni - Mykines, At the Edge. The second volume turns the lens on the island itself. It presents a photographic portrait of a disappearing community. You’ll also find numerous texts by Mikkelsen – a local himself – inviting you to dive deeper into the moments I have tried to capture.
Photography and design: Rúni Brattaberg Camera equipment: Leica M6 and Leica 262 Layout: Sára Mikkelsen Printing: Narayana Press, Denmark Supported by: Mentanargrunnur Landsins (Cultural Foundation of the Faroe Islands)
PRINTED IN DENMARK, WITH DEVOTION AND STILLNESS
Printed in Denmark at Narayana Press – one of the country’s most distinguished printing houses, run by a self-sustaining community devoted to craft, land, and clarity of purpose
SOLITUDE
Solitude is always undervalued! —or so it is said. But the one who finds it, flourishes. In Mykines, so few are left that those who remain are almost hermits. They live their solitude in a nature boundless and alive. In storm, when sky and sea merge into one. In hushed sunrise or enveloped in dense fog. Homebound, they endure it all and make peace with life as it is.
RESOURCES SHARED
A remnant of the first economy. Men make their way up a hill and rappel themselves down craggy cliffs in the black of night to hunt gannets. As morning breaks, they divide the catch, following an old custom. An ancient tradition. An ancient craft. It was a shared endeavour to secure this precious yield, a key resource in sustaining village life. All hands were needed. Even the hands that already had earned their keep—worn from handling lines, straining at the oars and scrubbing clothes in freezing wash basins—were counted in when the spoils were shared. The custom was the same when eggs were gathered or whales were driven into a bay. Each received their share. And the custom endures. The unmistakable festive spirit that stirs when the autumn yield is brought in—it has not faded.
TOURISTS
People dream of an escape from the rush, an escape to peace and rest. Their daily routine is wound up in rules and clocks, train schedules, traffic lights, appointments, demands—and haste. The tourist industry puts Mykines on the map for them. They want to visit the eight people who live here, who thrive in a solitude with few demands and even fewer rules. What would it be like to experience such an existence, if only for a few hours? Is the dream alive in Mykines? Is this where you can unwind? The desire to visit Mykines is a craving to taste life unshackled from modern restraints. On distant skerries, in the middle of the endless sea. Meadows, birds, cliffs and ocean. And eight people. But when a packed boat docks with eager passengers, who file up through the village and venture out to Mykineshólmur—often in throngs—can one still experience the solitude and seclusion, the true spirit and mood of the village and island that first stirred the dream?
THE CHURCH
The church, where hymns once rang out. Where they professed their faith. Where children were baptised. Where marriages were blessed. A fellowship woven into the global communion with the Lord of all. Voices rose in praise of glory. Now the last note has been sung. The church stands empty and silent. The hand that tended it is gone. Fellowship fades, and the conversation falls silent. What remains is solitude and loneliness.
„HAN FOTOGRAFERER DET HAN SAVNER“ — BOOK REVIEW FROM KLASSISK BUREAU
„For mig var det vigtigt at dokumentere dette. For jeg ser, at en kultur er ved at forsvinde. Og jeg ville fastholde, hvad der engang var.“ (Danish original)
