ONE DAY IN HISTORY (2012 - 2021)
The summer of 2021 marked 10 years since the terrorist attack on Utøya on July 22, 2011. The young people who survived have become young adults; Some of them live a
quiet life in the suburbs with their partners and children, others have become politicians.
Some manage to use their experience to fight for a better world through work or social
engagement, others feel they never received the help they needed and were promised.
More than a third of them still struggle with PTSD.
9 years after I photographed One Day in History, I portrayed some of the survivors again and I asked them what they would tell themselves in hindsight.
«Don’t just look at the dark side, but continue the process that you have begun. Stop isolating yourself, and open up about your feelings to those closest to you. You are not a burden.»
Cecilie, 2021
«Be kind to yourself, what you have been through is painful. It is allowed to feel that it is difficult. Fortunately, the picture will gradually expand, it feels very present now, but eventually it will become a smaller part of the big life. Good things are waiting for you in the future.»
Ina, 2021
«You will reach further than it might feel like right now. Maybe it seems hopeless, but it is not over. Everything you do from now on will be a personal achievement; to pass the exam, get your driver's license, buy an apartment and be in a long-term relationship. Even if you believe that none of this is going to happen.»
Aleksander, 2021
«Do not lose faith in yourself. You are good enough. Skilled enough. Strong enough. Dare to be vulnerable and sad when you need it, because what you have experienced is so incomprehensible and painful. Live in the moment and do not think about everything that did not become as you planned.
»
Eirin, 2021
«You will meet an incredible number of nice people. You will take the chances you are offered and you will travel, work and get a bachelors degree. Remember that there is noe one way to deal with trauma, and that you should not have a bad conscience if you feel happy.
When you get the terrorist attack more at a distance, you will get annoyed with little things in the same way as you did before. But that doesn't mean you have forgotten about it, you just remember it in a different way.»
Ylva, 2021
«You cannot change what happened on Utoya by escaping from everything and everyone who reminds you of that day. July 22 will be with you no matter where you are - in Georgia or in Norway. You will realize that what happened was not a natural disaster, but a hateful act. Your openness and your commitment, like everyone else, count in the fight to prevent something similar from happening.»
Natia, 2021
