Hi there!

Today, The IK Foundation both concludes and begins an important work with our extensive collections of scientific aerial pictures. A number of Natural & Cultural History projects, as stated previously on this site, have centred around the use of these aerial pictures. Together with that we have today completed 70 years of aerial pictures within "The IK Foundation Collection of Aerial Pictures" through a donation to The Swedish National Archives, it was intended to have been made public through a wide-ranging international seminar. Since this cannot be done for known reasons, we invite you to our newly opened visual story “PERSPECTIVES | A bird’s-eye view of landscapes” where you can become a bird for a while!

THE DONATION

The physical archival material – which in addition to pictures also consists of writings, maps, notes, research papers, etc. – was donated during March 2021 by The IK Foundation to The Swedish National Archives (Riksarkivet).

The IK Foundation has chosen this cooperation due to The Swedish National Archives being one of the country's oldest public authorities. They collect and secure records to preserve them for future generations, as part of the common national heritage.

Through an early collaboration with, among others, the Erna & Viktor Hasselblad Foundation, development, publication and exhibitions of the collection have taken place. Since 2019 IK, in collaboration with the Thora Ohlsson Foundation, has carried out a digitisation of the collection and opened a dedicated department within The IK Workshop Society called iBirdsEye, an open resource for the development of the subject in an interdisciplinary spirit.

The donation is the beginning of a new era for the material and the subject! The physical archive is given long-term care, whilst the digital material with thousands of pictures is already freely available which will inspire new knowledge, new technology and opportunities – a donation for inspiration to understand various landscapes' Natural & Cultural History. This is an exciting collaboration between The IK Foundation and The Swedish National Archives.

EXPLORE MORE:

• VISUAL STORY: PERSPECTIVES | A bird’s-eye view of landscapes

• PRESS RELEASE | DONATION TO THE SWEDISH NATIONAL ARCHIVES | Aerial Pictures

• THE IK WORKSHOP SOCIETY | iBirdsEye