Nyhed
Livø inmates’ voices come to life in project from Aalborg University
Lagt online: 06.12.2024

Nyhed
Livø inmates’ voices come to life in project from Aalborg University
Lagt online: 06.12.2024

Livø inmates’ voices come to life in project from Aalborg University
Nyhed
Lagt online: 06.12.2024
Nyhed
Lagt online: 06.12.2024
By Jane Grønning Johansen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs Photo: Eva Rosalie Buch Nielsen
For the first time, former inmates at Livø Institution can share their lives and thoughts after Master's thesis student at Aalborg University Eva Rosalie Buch Nielsen mapped as many as 3,000 pieces of historical graffiti in the institution’s grain attic. The mapping provides unique insight into the lives of the inmates: the romantic relationships, friendships and deprivations that they had to express somewhere.
"In the attic, we get a unique picture of the inmates, because it is one of the only places where we get their own thoughts and words. Their story has so far been told through the system, for example in patient records, so it’s very special to have the graffiti mapped, because they are actually quite eloquent," says Eva Rosalie Buch Nielsen, who graduated this summer with a degree in History from Aalborg University.
From 1911 to 1961, 743 men were placed at Livø Institution. They were sent to the small island in the Limfjord because they were considered maladjusted or what was termed "morally weak". At the time, doctors believed that young men with 'deviant behaviour' benefited from fresh air and physical work, so they spent their days at the institution doing hard work in the fields, the woods or a workshop.
The total 2,884 pieces of graffiti in the grain attic basically support the story we know about life on Livø. Source material from Livø states, among other things, that the inmates engaged in homosexual relationships with each other. But in the attic, we learn more about their relationships with each other and their friendships. Their small conflicts become reality, and the small inscriptions testify to the fact that these young men naturally had thoughts and feelings like everyone else.
Eva Rosalie Buch Nielsen divided the graffiti into six main themes:
According to Eva Rosalie Buch Nielsen, it is thought-provoking that the type of graffiti that appears most times is the autographs.
"They needed to tell that they were on Livø so as not to be forgotten. One of the strongest statements I read in the attic is: 'Loved not missed'. The graffiti illustrates the feelings that arise when you feel that the family at home doesn't really miss you," says Eva Rosalie Buch Nielsen.
The aim of Livø Institution was to prevent the inmates from 'reproducing', because society at the time was convinced that, for example, 'moral weakness' was inherited. Therefore, in 1929 and in 1934/1935, laws were passed with broad political support, which meant that those sent to Livø faced the possibility of leaving the island and getting their freedom back if they allowed themselves to be sterilized.
Although the many pieces of graffiti often contain very little text, they tell us a lot about the men who were sent to Livø Institution against their will, says Poul Duedahl, Professor of History at Aalborg University and the supervisor on the project.
"This is one of the very few places where these men have their say. Eva has registered it all, and divided the graffiti into themes. So, for the first time, we get an idea of what was on their minds," says Poul Duedahl and continues:
"These are young men who were seen as a danger to society. They are sexually active, and they can go out. When they were sent to Livø, it was about protecting society from them. The only place the young men were able to express themselves freely and unhindered was on the walls," says Poul Duedahl.
According to Maria Clement Hagstrup, Head of Development and Museum Curator at Vesthimmerland Museum it is exceptional that we have the inmates' own words in the attic. Although they don't say much, taken together the pieces of graffiti provide unique insight into their emotional life.
"The attic is the most authentic place on the island. Here you get up close to these men and their thoughts and feelings," says Maria Clement Hagstrup and adds:
"When you sit with the patient records at the Danish National Archives, they tell you how the system viewed these inmates. But here, in their own words, we get rare insight into their emotional life. For us as a museum, it is so important now to finally have the entire attic documented with Eva's huge effort," Maria Clement Hagstrup emphasizes.
The thesis project was done in collaboration with Vesthimmerland Museum.
Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs.
Facts
For 50 years from 1911 to 1961, Livø Institution was home to criminals, the morally weak and maladjusted young men. They were sent to the small island in the Limfjord to be hidden from public view. The purpose of institutionalization was to get the inmates on the 'right track', or prevent them from having children of their own and thus passing on their 'moral weakness'.
During the 50 years of Livø Institution, 743 men were forcibly held on the island. One in three of the men sent to Livø was between 13-24 years old.
Livø is owned by the Ministry of Environment and operated by the Danish Nature Agency.
Source: Afvigernes Ø [Island of Deviants] by Poul Duedahl and Maria Clement Hagstrup.