In a small coastal town called Torekov in Sweden, a curious ritual takes place every morning and is performed by almost every one of its inhabitants. Every morning, almost the whole town goes down to the local pier, morganbryggan, for a morning swim in the sea.

Peggy Anderson, a Swedish-American photographer, has been photographing the ritual for almost ten years. Growing up, she spent many summers in Sweden with her grandparents and other relatives. There she often participated in the morning bath herself.

The idea for a photography project was born out of Anderson’s fascination with the bathrobes worn by the people of Torekov – brightly colored, unique, some old enough to look like they’ve been passed down from generation to generation. . The bathrobes told the story of the inhabitants of a small Swedish town who had carried on a tradition for years.

“I’m documenting a specific place, time and ritual, creating an archive for the future,” Anderson said.

The project consists of portraits, shot by Anderson with a large format camera, of residents of Torekov wrapped in their bathrobes with wet hair, water dripping from them. Anderson wants to capture swimmers naturally, spontaneously. She never retouches her photos.

“A woman who was about my age…didn’t really like the picture because she thought, you know, I’m not my best,” Anderson said. “And then she told me that she now has this picture hanging in her house and it’s a reminder to herself that she’s really proud of who she is. She almost feels empowered by the fact that “she has this image of herself. I thought it was such a great testament to the project, but I also felt like it was validated for me. What I do is give something thing back.

Over time, the project began to come to life as Anderson’s understanding and embrace of his Swedish roots grew. The depictions of her art represent and elevate a dual heritage, showing a deep understanding of time and how rituals endure. Anderson has photographed generations of his family members in the morning bath. Some have died and the children she photographed are older now. They also reflect an urgency as the Earth and its oceans heat up. Could residents of Torekov bathe in the future?

“This project takes time and this ritual goes on and on and the bathrobes are passed down from generation to generation,” Anderson said. “I really have a sense of time. And not just like capturing a moment in time with a photograph, I literally see time passing and the whole repetitive act of it.

Last week, Anderson photographed a man who was at the pier measuring levels of material in the water. It was the first time that she included a person not wearing a bathrobe in the project. Anderson’s project continues to evolve in new directions to capture the changing times of Torekov and the world beyond.

Anderson’s exhibition, morning dip, will be exhibited at the American Swedish Institute from July 21 to October 30.