This project is an exploration of the various pressures associated with these laws, and how their negative repercussions can have mental and emotional impact when placed on individuals both in rural and in larger communities.

 

"The concept behind the series of photographs is based on a well-known Scandinavian word often used to describe the negative side of small-town mentality and people's ability to suppress others. Janteloven, meaning the law of Jante, is a term that originates from a novel written in 1933 by Aksel Sandemose that exposes the destructive effects of growing up in small-town Denmark. The single word Janteloven has become a well-respected and famous term widely used in daily speech and it has even established value as a formal term in social psychology. Although set in Scandinavia in a specific small community, Monica Takvam explores how the suppression of individual encouragement is transferable to communities all over the world. The hostile and discouraging atmosphere is commonplace in environments where uniqueness is a sin, and standing out from the crowd in any way is a disgrace."

 

Text as published in Portfolio Magazine, Issue 47 May 2008

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