fem tusen og fem

2021-2022

Series of fanzines (16 pages*, A5 size, risograph printed)
*The Special Edition contains 40 pages

Documentation photos: Tine Adler, Emilie Wright, Daniela Ramos Arias and Nayara Leite

As part of the mediation programme Translating Togetherness, initiated and curated by Daniela Ramos Arias, I produced a series of fanzines entitled fem tusen og fem.

The inspiration for fem tusen og fem arose when I visited Skeivt Arkiv (the Norwegian Queer Archive) and discovered Frimerket, the newsletter for members of Homofil Bevegelse i Bergen (Gay Movement in Bergen) – HBB. Frimerket was published in the 70s and 80s and contained information about meetings, events and issues concerning the gay community at that time.

In close collaboration with Skeivt Arkiv, which provided some of the archival photographs used in the fanzines, fem tusen og fem has brought together facts about the LGBTQ+ history in Bergen, current interviews, events and issues faced by this community nowadays.

Three issues of fem tusen og fem have been released as part of Translating Togetherness. 100 copies of each issue were randomly delivered to Hordaland Kunstsenter’s neighbours, throughout the postcode 5005 in Nordnes.

Initially conceived to be only a three-issue fanzine, I felt the need to keep the publication alive as soon as the last one was distributed back in 2021. That is how the idea of making the Special Edition was born. Launched in September 2022, the 40 pages of the Special Edition are filled with original texts and poems by these 12 talented queer artists and writers: Danja Burchard, Derek Sargent, Emilie Wright, Ena Johanna, Kaeto Sweeney, Maike Statz, Nina Eriksson, Runa Halleraker, Saara Törrö, Sigrid Lerche, Tine Adler and Torleif Bay. The theme that binds them together is “Experiences on queerness”, an open invitation for them to reflect on their lives, joys and struggles as queer individuals.

Click here to read the digital version of the three first issues of fem tusen og fem (printed versions are sold out), and to know how to order the Special Edition.

This project was supported by Hordaland Kunstsenter and Bergen Kommune.