Deep in the narrow Vestfjord valley in Norway, surrounded by steep mountains and at the foot of the mighty Gaustatoppen peak, lies the industrial town of Rjukan; a small and quiet community that lives in darkness for six months of the year. It’s a unique place, with only 3,400 inhabitants. Their isolation and the dark conditions in which they live first drew me there.
This contrast between light and dark has always fascinated me. As a photographer these are the basic aspects which make up any image, we think about them daily. The parallels that I draw between photography as a medium and Rjukan as my subject inspire me and interweaved in this marriage of subject and medium is the effect of the Solspeil.
Solspeil, translating to ‘sun mirrors’, rest at the top of one of Rjukan’s mountain walls. These three mirrors follow the sun’s path throughout the entire year, using a computer programme and moving on two axes, powered by solar and wind energy. They are able to capture the sun that hits the top of the mountain and reflect it down into the market square, creating a small circle of light for the community to enjoy.