(Exhibition text in English, referring to a QR code in the exhibition)
The Bäcka-costume is a journey. One that began from within, born out of a sense of not belonging, of wanting to fit in and finding a place. I had no roots or background in folk traditions and I didn’t feel at home in neither male nor female versions of folk dress.
I got the idea of a trouser-skirt in around 2018 – weaving together the masculine and feminine ideals found in folk dress traditions felt entirely right. The response to the trouser-skirt was powerful; I soon realised I wasn’t the only one feeling like an outsider.
By working on the project, I was also working on myself. I spoke about queer issues with people in the queer community. My vocabulary and understanding of how one can identify as a person grew, and eventually everything fell into place. I realised that I am non-binary. My inner self had been trying to speak through ideas. Imagine that a single idea – a trouser-skirt – could mean so much more!
The Bäcka-costume is meant to be a set of values to wear and to evolve. It is not tied to any specific province or parish – our home is the queer community. We are the costume’s home.
The “bäck” (brook) symbolises water, always changing – just like our culture. Every one of us holds a kind of life force that flows left, right, inward and outward. Like small streams running into the sea, we are all connected – all part of the same water.
This version of the Bäcka-costume has been inspiration by Kulturen and the rich heritage of Scanian traditional dress.
/Fredy Samuel Lundh
