Rites of Life is born!
Now the book Rites of Life is here; all 560 pages and 287 photographs. At the same time a large outdoor exhibition featuring the most compelling images is being shown in Raoul Wallenberg Square in the center of Stockholm.
”Thank you! The baby is fine,” says Anders Ryman, father of the child. ”But it has been a long pregnancy.”
Eight years, as a matter of fact. Easter 2000, Anders took off on the first trip. It brought him to Kautokeino in Northern Norway, where he photographed baptisms, confirmations and weddings among the local Saami. And in August, 2007, he wrapped it all up with a Finnish weeding on the small island of Jurmo in the Turku Archipelago.
Between these two journeys lie trips to more than twenty different cultures in all inhabited continents.
Irrespective of our culture, religion or tradition we are all very much the same – and we all share a need to somehow mark the steps we take along life’s path. By focusing on such rituals Anders has sought to highlight both the great cultural variety of the world and the affinity between all people across the cultural boundaries.
The result is a 560-page book published by Bokförlaget Max Ström, and an outdoor exhibition in Raoul Wallenberg Square (Nybroplan) in Stockholm from August 5 to September 28. The exhibtion has been organized in cooperation with Stockholm’s Culture Festival.
