The Photographers of Oslo: Øyvind Nordhagen | DOCUMENTARY | STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

My friend Øyvind Nordhagen has spent much of his spare time riding trams. Not just any tram, but a special type of tram called SL79. The number 79 is from the year the tram was put in service here in Oslo: 1979. Soon the tram will dissapear. Forever. Øyvind has mixed feelings about that. So he took those feelings and turned them into a photo project. He started documenting the tram and everything that goes with it when it is no longer riding the streets of Oslo. Here's his artist statement: «People in Oslo don't know what “SL79” is, but they love “the old tram”. That's how it was for me too. When I found out that the SL79 would disappear, I started writing the visual memorial. This machine has tirelessly patrolled the city and added color and sound to Oslo for 45 years. It's weird because it was made for a different time. That's why people love it. It's an event to ride the SL79 and there are events on board the SL79. There should be a work that shows how Oslo traveled together before 2025. Because it won't be the same after. It's important to say that this is not a debate post, even if the motivation is nostalgic. Modernization is needed to enable as many people as possible to travel. When we say goodbye to the SL79, we leave behind a landmark that has characterized the city of Oslo and the people of Oslo. Not just visually. This tram has some very special qualities that affect us and create unique compositions and subtle situations. The project shows many of these and everything is photographed exactly as it happened. Nothing is directed. So this is a street photography project with SL79 as the frame, where the city's theater is the subject.» I sat down with Øyvind and asked him about the project. Shot on Fuji X-S20 (interviews) and a Fuji X-T2 (onboard the tram). Music: Mats Halvorsen