(2022-)
Summers in Norway are short and precious. The weather is often only medium good, and when it is hot enough, Norwegians more often than not, will let everything fall to the ground, and enjoy summer instead. But most of all, summers are unpredictable, and as we never know what the summer will give, and how to get the most of it, the summer is in a way a project in itself.
Although summer is often enjoyed in private spaces, as is life all through the year, this project is mainly about public spaces. When the wonders of summer suddenly strike, it is as if the nature of the Norwegian personality changes and transforms. Life takes place in public areas to a much higher degree, and also, people seem to be smitten by a playfulness and an energy level of which there are not many traces to be seen for the rest of the year. However, despite the energetic outbursts of life, and the increased interactions with nature, especially water, the tendency towards withdrawal to privacy is still noticeable, interestingly displayed in public settings. The balance between the two, the energy and the quiet solitude, the public and the private, seem to shift in an interesting way which is equally surprising every year.
In this project I want to focus on how we inhabit space when summer suddenly happens, how we interact with nature and with each other. It is a documentation of playfulness and joy, as well as the pleasantness of being on ones own, in the middle of crowds.This is a project in progress, it might take many summers yet.
© Anette Nordskog