Mina Stokke

“Moose in sunset” is the painted image of a moose standing lonely in a colorful landscape, watching the sun go down. The motif, labeled “true Scandinavian kitsch” is known for symbolizing nationality and culture. As less and less moose are spotted in the forests, there is reason to believe that the moose is in the process of becoming extinct. “Moose in sunset” might then turn into a cultural-historic fossil. ​ In recent years, the number of production forests in Sweden has increased, with young trees densely planted in grid-like and uniform patterns. The planting of trees produces a homogeneous forest with little biological variation, which creates a lack of food for moose and causes them to start eating other plants. When they starve, the moose produce less antlers, which makes them less attractive to cow moose, which also results in a lower birth rate among the species. Today, Halle- and Hunneberg, known as “the Mountain of the Moose”, is a popular tourist, hunter, and tracking destination in Vänersborg, due to the natural beauty and the high chance of getting a glimpse of the “king of the forest”. But in the near future visitors might return home having seen nothing but the sun setting. I wonder if the reading of ‘moose in sunset’ is going to change, if it will be reshaped into symbolizing historical and ecological changes, and become a memory of something that is part of the past, a culture that was before.