Avoiding Cliché, Embracing Nuance
My submission for the Oslo Street Photography exhibition to Oslo Negativ 2025
Understanding “Nærmere / Closer” — Open Call Context
The theme “Nærmere” (Closer) in the Preus Museum Open Call invites artists to “get closer to the subject and into another dimension of understanding.” It’s not just about physical proximity—it’s an invitation to move deeper, emotionally, socially, conceptually—into layers of meaning, intimacy, connection, or even tension within public life.
It urges photographers to explore what happens when proximity isn’t merely spatial, but relational—when closeness becomes a way to reveal stories, contexts, or shared experiences in public spaces.
“In this scene, ‘closer’ is not just a vanishing point, it’s a convergence. The tram becomes a shared axis of arrival and departure, where anonymous lives brush alongside each other under the same misted glow. There’s proximity in movement, in atmosphere, in the unspoken rhythms of urban life. I wanted to pull the viewer into that subtle communal space. Closer not just to the tram, but to the undercurrent of human presence that pulses through public infrastructure and fleeting encounters.”
shared rhythm in the urban mist
Through the Lens of “Closer”
The photograph I am submitting captures a moment where people-strangers-converge around a tram. Common as it may seem, the scene is rich with metaphoric potential once you apply the notion of “closer” beyond the literal. Here is what I propose as my understanding:
1. The Tram as a Conduit of Collective Movement
The tram sits at the core of this urban tableau; it’s not just a vehicle but a symbol of shared passage, people literally coming closer to one another to journey together.
In that, it becomes a focal point of collective rhythm, where public life happens through co-presence and motion.
2. Intimacy in Urban Anonymity
Even when the city makes us distant, the mist and the glow create a gentle intimacy. The hazy atmosphere erodes the boundaries between individuals—physically drawing them nearer, yet abstractly evoking connectedness.
“Closer” here becomes emotional: strangers, enveloped in the same light and fog, feel subtly tied by the shared environment.
3. Metaphorical Layers of Proximity
Each figure, from the pedestrian to the cyclist to the tram passengers, are all separate and intersecting. Their paths cross, parallel, and momentarily align.
This interplay can reflect the modern urban condition: people coexisting, dependent on shared infrastructure, presence, and timing. Layers of proximity within the public sphere.
4. Bringing Inner Stories Outwards
Even without seeing their faces, there’s a narrative suggested: someone perhaps hurrying home, another pausing, the cyclist focused on the road.
The theme invites us to move closer, into their inner worlds, even if unseen. It’s an invitation to imagine their stories, to go beyond what’s visible.
My feelings about this photo
As a photographer, I was drawn into this scene. The haze softened the city, while the tram thundered past and people moved through on their way home. Something about the atmosphere, the light, the movement, the quiet rhythm of the night. It just made me freeze and reach for my camera. I need to freeze this moment, to stay close to preserve that fleeting sense that came over me at that moment.
