Torgny, Y-block / Deichman, 1996
Alexander Kayiambakis tells the story of this historic photograph, now part of the Møller Collection at Deich / Fotografiska:
This image, now part of the permanent collection at Deich — a new photography institution by Fotografiska and the Møller Collection — captures a fleeting and absurd moment from Oslo’s urban history.
Easter, 1996: we were a group of young skaters roaming a nearly deserted city. By the old Deichman Library and Picasso’s mural The Fishermen, there was a long, steep stairway — used by locals and those who knew the city’s shortcuts.
Torgny, always wildly energetic, had found a heavy-duty trolley — maybe 80 kilos, with big inflated wheels and a solid iron steering rod. Of course, he didn’t try it on flat ground — he chose the stairway.
I had my medium format camera in my bag. I grabbed it, measured the light, and framed the scene in the reversed waist-level viewfinder, trying to follow his movement.
He launched down the stairs like a scene out of a Russian montage film — Battleship Potemkin, or maybe The Untouchables, where a baby carriage tumbles in slow motion.
He held on until he was flung off like a slingshot, landing meters away. I shot one single frame.
Later, I developed the film. It was sharp, well-timed. Torgny sent it to Thrasher Magazine in the U.S., and in June 1998 it was published in the legendary “Something Else” section — the first Norwegian photo to appear there, and reportedly one of editor Jake Phelps’ personal favorites.
28 years later, this spot is forever changed. After the 2011 terror attack that shocked Norway and the world, the brutalist Y-block behind Torgny became the center of a cultural battle. Despite strong protests from artists and architects, the building was torn down. Picasso’s mural was removed and relocated.
Now, the site is being reborn: the old library will soon house Deich, where the Møller Collection — including this photograph — will have its new, permanent home.
