The Colder the Weather the Warmer the Hearts

On a cold evening in October 1953, the community of Bodø arrived at Godtemplarhuset, the venue now known as NŌUA; they shuffled up the stairs, entered the great hall and diligently took their seats, for a show was about to begin. A newspaper article reports that the Bodø Red Cross had arranged a fashion show in collaboration with local stores, in order to raise funds for charities and other worthy causes. There were 7 models central to the event, showcasing the very latest in fashion trends––among them coats, furs of ocelot and mink, a black velour costume, three colourful ski suits and beautiful Rayon dresses––across tables assembled as a makeshift runway. The highlight of the evening was said to be the full-length evening dresses, impressing all with their “elegant splendour”. On the stage, the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower was set against a dark Parisian sky with glittering stars, while Brækka’s trio played modern dance rhythms. The event was a terrific success and celebrated the strength of the community.

In the exhibition, The Colder the Weather the Warmer the Hearts, British conceptual artist Clare Strand (in her characteristically playful style), reincarnates and reinvents the fashion catwalk in NŌUA for Bodø’s contemporary audience. During the opening, the artist in collaboration with seven Bodø-based models (found through an open call) will introduce her latest ‘wearable artworks’, made with selected historical photographs of Bodø and the wider region from the collection of Arkiv i Nordland. Responding to NŌUA’s 2023 programme Construct/Reconstruct––a year-long exhibition series informed by the renovation of their gallery space, reflecting on ‘what an exhibition space can be’––Clare Strand continues to push the boundaries of how photography is understood, engaged and activated through performance, event and community celebration. Accompanying the catwalk will be live music, refreshments and waffle cakes, echoing the original show in 1953.

Working closely with Espen Kjelling (Archivist, Arkiv i Nordland) to scour the photographic collections, Strand has learnt of unique histories and stories related to Bodø through a myriad of imagery. She focuses our attention towards aerial views of the city (pre and post-WWII), bombed architectures, buildings under construction, maelstrom, flowers, snow-capped mountains, a lady in a dress, and a class of young ballerinas from the Berit Kaalhus School of Ballet sitting in front of the stage at Godtemplarhuset. The artist, however, is quick to point out that she is not a local historian and does not wish to be didactic: she has, rather, “chosen a sketchbook overview of the archive” from her point of view, gravitating towards images she feels “have a tacit relationship to the city of Bodø”. These images, then, act as launchpads, not as rigorous anthropological studies, but more catalysts for conversation to be contextualised with and by the present community. Keenly, a subtext of how identity might be formed via the conduits of environment, history, local customs and traditions, is woven into the images and, coincidentally, the fabrics themselves. The body is literally and figuratively a moving image; it carries, moves, flows across the catwalk, travelling––the historical intertwined with the present. 

In the planning process, before stitching and sewing began, Strand conversed with her chosen models, drawing specific affinities between each model and the images they will wear. Moreover, the artist has carefully chosen the style of dress worn by each model; this consideration, although modest, continues a long and rich history of fashion design and taste in Bodø. When speaking with Norwegian archivist and historian, Aasta Karlsen, who has contributed a text on the history of fashion in Bodø (please see below), Strand learnt the city has been consistently forward thinking in this regard, due to its strong coastal connections, trade and direct exposure to European modern styles of clothing. These relationships, combined with the renowned 1960s fashion store Prinsen, made Bodø the epicentre of fashion culture in Norway.

Historically, the exhibition and opening event sits in dialogue with a long lineage of artists who also sought to explore the gap between artistic practice, marketplace, fashion and performance. In 1920, Oskar Schlemmer’s Bauhaus costumes adorned the dancers of the Triadic Ballet, reducing the human figure to geometric and formalist shapes. In 1926, Edward Steichen, a photographer and Director of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art (NY), contributed abstract photographic designs to Stehli’s popular “Americana'' line of fabrics, resulting in a successful collaboration between product and art. In the 1960s, graphic artist Harry Gordon created his pioneering ‘poster dresses’, which allowed the wearer, adorned with graphic photographs, to simply unfold their dress and display it as a poster. In 1986, Adelle Lutz gained attention for her surreal 'urban camouflage' costumes, mimicking urban materials such as brick, wood and column panelling. These are just a few examples of the fertile crossovers which are channelled through The Colder the Weather the Warmer the Hearts. 

Clare Strand has an affection for numbers. In the exhibition, the number seven is perhaps a not so secret love affair. The exhibition abides by the rules of seven: seven models, seven wearable artworks, seven photographic wallpapers, seven pairs of shoes, seven plinths, seven mannequin arms, seven pairs of gloves; the list goes on. Numbers are a part of a game, a system, the ‘terms of engagement’ for Strand. They reappear, again and again, resurfacing as things (and images) often do. I will remind you of Strand’s earlier works: The Seven Basic Propositions (2010), 75 Indicative Images (1986-2014) and Snake (2017), which is exhibited as seven works; alongside other notable sevens: Seven Wonders of the World, Seven Days of Creation, Seven Sisters, seven virtues, seven daughters of Jethro, seven ages of man, seven planets, seven days in a week, seven colours of the rainbow, seven notes in the heptatonic scale, and there is one more seven that escapes me. Strand often cites the film, Drowning by Numbers (1988) by Peter Greenaway, as a main reference point during her formative years. In the film, number-counting, repetition and sequences structure the narrative and guide the plot. When faced with the newspaper report from 1953, and the knowledge of 7 original models, Strand was clearly swept away by the tide. That’s it: seven deadly sins. 

The title, The Colder the Weather the Warmer the Hearts, is derived from a comment made by Henrik S. Dagfinrud (Programme Director, Bodø European Capital of Culture 2024) on the podcast Life in Norway. During episode 52, Henrik S. Dagfinrud speaks of cultural plans for 2024 and his hopes for its legacy in Bodø and Northern Norway. He describes the culture and people through an interpreted version of the classic phrase ‘Cold Hands, Warm Heart’; a saying often used to describe individuals who may, from the outside, appear unsentimental, however act with immense kindness and warmth. When we consider the harsh Arctic climate and icy winters, this would suggest a great adoration and pride for the community of Bodø, which has much warmth to give. 

This sense of community and togetherness is important to Strand. She views her role as a facilitator, an embracing ethos that continues the legacy of relational aesthetics or relational art; an approach described by Nicolas Bourriaud in Relational Aesthetics (1998) as “artistic practices which take as their theoretical and practical point of departure the whole of human relations and their social context, rather than an independent and private space”. Strand wishes to invite people to gather, to reflect, to travel through time and position themselves at the centre of the exhibition, as it is, ultimately, about the nature of people and place––put simply, the heart of the ‘art’ in The Colder the Weather the Warmer the Hearts, is in our meeting. 

During the opening catwalk event on the 23rd September 2023 (70 years since the original show), audiences will listen to the tune of Dream Operator by Talking Heads, as models morph into undulating images in front of their eyes, interspersed by live commentary by Strand. Dream Operator, written by David Byrne accompanied the fantastical fashion catwalk in his directorial musical comedy True Stories (1986). The film is about a town coming together and a celebration of its uniqueness, with undertones of surrealist humour––in other words, it’s very strand-esque. It is yet another example of the embedded references that Strand weaves and threads into all her works, and that pulsates through every aspect of the exhibition, the cumulative effect of which brings a touch of magic, theatre and awe to visitors. 

Alexander Mourant is an artist, educator, writer and curator based in London. He is Lecturer on BA (Hons) Photography at Kingston School of Art. Solo exhibitions include Aomori at The Old Truman Brewery (2018) and Unseen Amsterdam (2018), and recent group exhibitions include To Walk in the Image, Lismore Castle Arts, Ireland (2023), At the Farthest Edge: Rebuilding Photography, NŌUA, Norway (2023), A Sudden Vanishing, Seen Fifteen Gallery, London (2023) and with fists, it kicks, it bites, Edel Assanti, London (2020). Mourant is a recipient of grants from Arts Council Norway, Arts Council England and ArtHouse Jersey. He achieved BA Photography at Falmouth University, and MA Photography at Royal College of Art, London.