This long-term photographic project documents living folk dress in Rättvik municipality through monthly portrait sessions with different individuals wearing traditional costume in their own local setting. The work unfolds over the course of a year, following seasonal change and focusing on the act of wearing the dress, its material presence, and its relationship to place.
The project centres on three locally rooted costumes: the Rättvik costume, the Boda costume, and the Ore costume. It functions both as a process of photographic development and as a form of visual fieldwork, contributing to a contemporary record of living dress traditions as they are practised today.
January
Herrdräkt från Boda
Mattias Hällström
I inherited the costume around 2020 from my great-uncle, who was a fiddler in the Boda spelmanslag. Today, the costume is worn on ceremonial occasions and continues to be passed down within the family. The ruff at the collar is a significant element of the costume and a clear example of the craftsmanship involved in the dress tradition. For me, it is important that the costume continues to be worn, rather than preserved only as an object.
- Mattias Hällström