Bertil’s House

The videos shows a span of 15 years (2001-2016). All black & white photos taken by Dan Korn in 2001. Used w/ permission.

 

Mood:

Way, way out in the Swedish forest, at the end of a small and weary path is Bertil Johansson’s old house. Bertil lived here from the day he was born in 1925 until 2001. He lived as it was the 1800s without any power supply, telephone or running water. His house was decorated with commercial posters, stickers and colorful cartons. Even the forest surrounding the house was a canvas for Bertil’s art.

Bertil was quite unique, different, and that’s exactly what the locals thought of him. People from the nearby villages were soon to mock him because of his differentness. They were pointing, laughing and small groups gathered for walks to Bertil’s old house, just to make fun of him. They considered him to be crazy and mentally ill so he was eventually put in a residential home. But he was never diagnosed as mentally ill nor crazy, he was just “born differently” as he himself said.

Bertil thrived in his new home, where he found a new hobby in drawing and painting. This time far from the bullies. Bullies who didn’t understand his way of life. Individuals, grown ups, who had some kind of compulsion to fuck with Bertil just because he was a brighter and more vivid star than any person they ever bothered to get to know.

Bertil regularly visited his old house until his death. He passed away in the summer of 2008, 82 years old.

Bertil Johansson
1925-12-27 ~ 2008-08-13

Source: “Mot Strömmen” (2002) by Dan Korn.
All black and white photos taken by Dan Korn in 2001.