"Everything I do isn’t just regular, I like to add a special touch to everything".
In October I met Tor Halvorsen in his studio in Oslo, a small but exquisite hair salon/art gallery in Frogner. Tor has a polyhedral personality: he is an interior designer, artist, photographer, hair dresser and has carried out several refurbishment projects that transformed abandoned places into fashionable gathering points.
Matilde: When is your first memory of creating art?
Tor: As far as I remember I have always been drawing and painting. When we were children, my siblings and I didn't enjoy playing with toys so much, we would rather draw a lot. Since a very early age I also enjoyed redesigning my room over and over again and when I played in the sand I liked to design houses and parks. So I have always had this creative drive inside of me.
M: The first real painting…
T: The first real painting I think dates back to the time I was in 5th class. The art teacher gave us the task of making an oil painting at home and then we had to present it to the class. That was the first time I painted with oil actually. All my schoolmates made quite small size paintings but I came to school with a big sheet. At that age I was really fascinated by classical art and I had seen classical sculptures of Venus, as a result I presented to the class a painting of a nude woman and I got the best grade.
M: Despite your creativity you didn’t pursue an artistic education.
T: After the ninth grade I tried to get into Kunsthandwerkskole (Arts and Crafts school) but at the time the age limit was 21 or 22 years old and I was only 16. I wanted to become an architect or interior designer, so I went one year to a drawing school to learn how to draw and paint. After a second trial at Kunsthandwerskole I just dropped it and decided to become a hair dresser. Hair dressing is also a kind of art, the client is my canvas in a way, a raw material that I want to shape as a piece of art. Actually this kind of artistic practice isn’t as easy as one may think because the “artist” needs to consider the conditions that are already present and can’t be changed, like personality and facial features.
M: Your brand T.H.E. CREATOR contains all your creative activity. Can you tell me about it?
T: I started it around 15 years ago. T.H. stands for Tor Halvorsen and E stands for “er”, “is” in English. So you should read “Tor Halvorsen is the creator”. My brand includes everything I am doing: it is the event planning, the bar restaurant I had in Lofoten, it is my art and design pieces and hairdressing too. I used to have another company before, my first company that was dealing with planning events. It was called the Eight Wonders because I used to joke about the fact that I was the eighth one. But humans really are the eight wonder to me and I think I express that in my art too.
M: The last years you have been living on Røst which is a rather remote island in the Lofoten archipelago.
T: When I first arrived in Røst I fell in love with the island. I was taking some pictures and the locals invited me to document the winter fishing from another perspective. So I went there in the winter, initially I was supposed to be there for five days, then they became five weeks. At that point I had the idea of capturing the changes on the island during the four seasons and that required me renting a house and staying for one year. Somehow in between the events I got the chance to buy a fishing factory, a 1000 sq meters space that I have been transforming for the following years. Things changed unexpectedly.
M: How do you think living there has impacted your art?
T: That is a good question that I have also made to myself, I think I didn’t realize the powerful influence of living there until I left. Now I find myself painting a lot of nature. When I was there I didn’t focus on painting nature but now I feel that it is lacking. So the influence is more in the absence of nature, somehow. This is typical of me. I paint when I have a discomfort, a feeling of lack, of sadness. And then it is when I feel the deepest part of my soul. It is much easier to live in the light and joyful moments whereas it is difficult to face challenging situations.
M: So in Marrakesh…
T: you would think I get inspired by the brilliant colours, by strong fragrances, but instead I paint with very light tones and delicate subjects. There is so much energy and noise and that is why I feel the urge for quiet inside of myself. Then is when I think clear.
M: What is the start of your process?
T: I just feel that something needs to get out of me, then I turn to art to let in out. But it never turns out as what I thought it would be. The soul sees in a different way than our eyes, in a way I paint my emotions.
M: Someone who inspires you.
T: I am passionate of Monet and of Modigliani’s portraits. I have been working for 43 years with people and the contact with many different personalities inspires me a lot. There is something special in starting and building up a relationship, not only in relation to the other person but also as a personal experience. People we meet are our mirror.
M: What is the role of interior design in your career?
T: I think that when you are a creative person you cannot avoid experimenting and applying your ideas to everything you see. Everything I do isn’t just regular, I like to add a special touch to everything. I have also undergone several refurbishment projects, two big ones were in Toten and Røst, and there I could experiment a lot with interior design, colours and materials.
M: What are your plans for the future?
T: Exhibition in 2020 in an art gallery in Oslo. I have been out of the city for quite long so I think it is time to show my works again.
Enjoy a video of the fantastic fish factory refurbished by Tor on Røst.
Thank you to Tor Halvorsen!