How do photographs and films capture the traces of migration? Moment 8 explores lens-based representations of migration in Sweden from 1939 to the 1970s—a period of change, labor migration, and global movements.
Photographs and films can both tell the story of and carry traces of migration. Lens-based media also possess an inherent ability to situate these narratives in time and space beyond their original contexts.
The creation, circulation, and displacement of images are deeply influenced by social and technological factors. In the decades following World War II, Sweden experienced significant economic growth.
The demand for industrial labor was high, and during the 1950s and 1960s, labor migration reached record levels. Most migrants who came to Sweden for work arrived from the Nordic countries, primarily Finland, but also from Southern Europe. There was also substantial domestic migration from rural areas to urban centers, which rapidly transformed Sweden’s demographic landscape.
Labor migration slowed in the early 1970s when Sweden and the Western world faced an economic crisis. The postwar world order—both established and renegotiated in the shadow of the Cold War and the struggles for decolonization—also led people to migrate for political and humanitarian reasons. In this way, migration to Sweden reflects broader global movements.
With Moment 8, we turn our focus to lens-based representations of migration in Sweden from 1939 into the 1970s.
What visual practices existed among migrants, and what role did they play? And how have these images since migrated, taking on new significance both within and beyond the archives?
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