Andrea Gjestvang: One Day in History
By Martin Macdonald
One Day in History, a portrait series by Norwegian photographer Andrea Gjestvang (b. 1981)
features survivors of a shooting rampage carried out by far-right sympathiser Anders Breivik at a youth camp on Utøya island, Norway. The young victims, including Eirin
Kristin Kjær, one of the first shot, carry on with their daily lives. They
socialise with friends, fall in love, do sport and go to school like others
their age but the tragic events of 22.07.2011 have forever marked them and the date
itself is etched in Norway’s
collective memory.
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| A picture from Andrea Gjestvang’s One Day in History, L’Iris d’Or winner at the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. Photo: Andrea Gjestvang/Moment Eirin Kristin Kjær, 20, hid in a cave. She was shot in the stomach, arm, knee and armpit when trying to protect younger friends. |
The
survivors’ stories, captured by Gjestvang, who spent several months documenting
their rehabilation process in One Day in
History, have won her the L’Iris D’Or, Photographer of the Year prize at
the Sony World Photography Awards. One Day
in History is
on show as part of the 2013
Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House until 12 May.
 | |
A picture from Andrea Gjestvang’s One Day in History,
L’Iris d’Or winner ar the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. Photo: Andrea Gjestvang/Moment Ylva Schwenke, 15, was shot in the shoulder, stomach, and in both her thighs. |
Gjestvang’s
photographs include that of a girl with a large scar on her neck and shoulder,
a boy solemnly staring at the ground, a teenager who has lost half her arm, two
friends hugging each other, and a young woman - Eirin Kristin Kjær - with
massive scars on her stomach. They are all survivors and healing from the
damage inflicted by the gunman.
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A picture from Andrea Gjestvang’s One Day in History,
L’Iris d’Or winner at the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. Photo: Andrea Gjestvang/Moment Marius Hoft, 18, was hiding on a rock shelf to avoid the shooting. In an attempt to join him, his best friend Andreas fell and died. |
 |
A picture from Andrea Gjestvang’s One Day in History,
L’Iris d’Or winner at the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. Photo: Andrea Gjestvang/Moment Cecilie Herlovsen, 17, hid with her best friend, Andrine, who died. Cecilie had to have her arm amputated. |
Upon entering the youth camp in a policeman’s uniform, Breivik told the campers that he was there for
security reasons due to the Oslo bombing. He then proceeded to go on a mass
shooting, murdering 69 people, 33 of whom were under the age of 18. Of the 650
youths on the island, many more were injured yet survived the attack. A
Norwegian court sentenced Breivik to 21 years in prison. Life goes on for
the survivors but their emotional and/or physical scars remain.
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| A picture from Andrea Gjestvang’s One Day in History, L’Iris d’Or winner at the Sony World Photography Awards 2013. Photo: Andrea Gjestvang/Moment Best friends Victoria Frøyd,18, and Sofie Caroline Nilsen,17, hid in the school building until the shooting was over. |