A Photo Essay Of Sweden In Winter, A Pensive Place Where Time Stands Still

Rieger encountered almost no one during his time in Kolmården, which is close to Norrköping and the Baltic Sea. “You barely see any people in the countryside,” he reveals. “I lived in a house with only two others close by; the next little village was 30 minutes away by car. As a photographer you have the luck to see a lot of “I wanted to go back and experience Sweden in winter, it’s cold, gray, and nothing happens during this time.” people and places nearly every day, so it was nice to calm down and have this solitary time.”

Rieger mentions a bemusing anecdote as an exception to this secluded experience: “One day after a long hiking tour through the cold forest on the coast, there was a little church with fire torches outside,” he says. “As I wandered in, a violin concert started. It was a wonderful sound experience—in this small church, and that it started right when I came in. At the end the priestess was collecting money; instead of holding a traditional basket she had a barcode to wire money digitally. Coming from Berlin, a cash society where payment on card is uncommon at best, this moment felt ironically futuristic,” he laughs.