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:

• "I was here": Autographs with names with various additions, e.g. date of arrival, birthday, hometown and age
  Work and everyday life: E.g. counts of grain, comments on everyday life like, "Would you like to have gruel?", recorded types of grains
  Interactions in the attic: Expressions of friendship, but also warnings and conflicts. They also used the attic to vent frustrations and called each other nasty things: "Johannes is an idiot", etc. There is also a drawing that says "Come on". 
  
  "Dear Livø": Messages to each other, thoughts in the attic (like a diary) and the relationship with the island institution. Some of the darkest thoughts are written in the darkest corners: for example, a description of a rape in a corner at the very end.
  
  "Beloved little you": Love, deprivation and longing. Large mix of drawings and writings of a sexual nature. For example, in several places it says: "Pussy is good, but ass is best". There are topics such as homosexuality, deprivation and longing for their families and romantic partners expressed in several places.
  
  Drawings: Many drawings in the attic. Both simple motifs like stars, but also large detailed drawings, for example, a soldier in uniform with medals and a sword. There are also many portraits, most of them depicting men.

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.

Young men like everyone else

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.