ABOUT THE PROJECT
Since my earliest memories, I've carried a sense that something essential was absent from my life, like I was merely half of a complete person. It wasn't about romantic longing but rather a deeper, profound yearning. It was as if I should have had a twin. Although I had an older sister and a younger brother, I always felt distinct from them, almost like an outsider within my own family.
At that point in my life, I was journeying through India, wrestling with inner turmoil, uncertain about my place in the world and the direction of my life. Then, a dream visited me. In the dream, three women adorned in matching white dresses stood on a beach near my childhood home. The dream possessed a gentle, radiant quality, quiet and serene, and it seeped into my consciousness. It felt like a precious gift, clarifying what I yearned for and guiding me toward my true place in the world.
The following morning, as if in response to my dream, I encountered three identical white dresses hanging in a market. When I returned to Norway, I embarked on a journey to capture the evocative luminosity of those dresses using analog black and white film. It took me a couple of months to master this technique before I could begin crafting the series. It was during this process that I recognized the central theme of my work was longing.
I didn't have any twin friends, but I did have two sets of friends who were triplets. So, I began taking photographs to explore the dynamics of having sisters who bore a striking resemblance. Eventually, I introduced the black dress as a contrast to the innocence and hopefulness conveyed by the white. Gradually, I turned the camera toward myself, reflecting on the reality of my solitude, no longer part of a pair.
That was a few years ago. Today, I feel complete within myself. The longing has dissipated, but it took time and a profound journey of self-discovery.