Langhammars
Arxipelag Magazine x Marsèll
Barraclough has long been drawn to islands and their singular, unrepeatable qualities, yet his practice has remained rooted in portraiture. This portfolio marks his first project without people.
It is easy to see why. Fårö is known for its re-moteness: a moss-and lichen-covered place seemingly outside time, whose population has-rarely exceeded 600.
No wonder Ingmar Bergman, a notoriousre cluse, chose Fårö as his home, refuge, and favorite filming location. On the island, he said: “I have such difficulty calming down—my stomach, my head, reality, everything. That is the reason I live in Fårö. I have a feeling of complete balance. The sea, the house, the loneliness, the light. Everything is clearer. Much more precise.”
Bergman’s presence lingers across the island, extending beyond the frames reproduced in these pages. Barraclough’s images share the profound meditative quality of Bergman’s films, but with the volume turned up.
The images glow with indigo, purple, andearthy tones, suspended in a kind of perpetual sunrise, the elusive light of the white nights, understood only by those who have experienced the northern summer. Shot on analogue filmand 16mm, the landscapes possess a tactile, textured quality. They seem almost painted by nature, composed of sea, sky, and rock. Found rather than constructed...”
Words by Chiara Nonino in Arxipelag Vol. 4