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Ign

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Grafisk DesignIda Lundemo

Eksamen 4. Semester våren 2011

Trykket hos Øien & Indergaard AS

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Ignorethe other face of Trondheim

Grafisk DesignIda Lundemo

Eksamen 4. Semester våren 2011

Trykket hos Øien & Indergaard AS

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Preface

IGNORE - The Word

The Ignored

Octavian

Ecatarina

Madalina

Vlad

Lucian

The trash

The Trash of Trondheim

Sorgenfri

Mircea

Bogdana

Daciana

Ionel

Teodor

In the photographs

sources

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• 32

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Content

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In Norway, we live a comfortable life. We are entitled to free education, free health care and freedoms that a lot of other people don’t have. We are proud, hardworking people and we do what is required of us to get all the things and pleasures we have in our everyday life.

On the streets of Trondheim, we find many kinds of people. Among these there are people we are quick to ignore, and people which we think are a pest and a nuisance.

I will show you another side of Trondheim. View some things that may not be as nice. View a different type of people than you might be used to have something to do with. Everyone has a story, everyone has a dream, but not everyone is as lucky as the most of us and has a completely different life. Who has not seen a beggar with a cup asking for money, or the noisy alcoholics that hang in the park, and the tagged wall near

the railway station.These are the things we ignore.

We get a bit guilty as we walk past the poor old man with a scanty two coins in his cup.Most of us cannot be bothered to care, everyone one thinks only of themselves. We’d rather not have anything to do with people who have it harder than us. Abusers of different kinds who make noise on the street, make us ashamed on their behalf, make us uncomfortable. We ignore.

The point of this book is to get you to look, see the things that are not pretty, and perhaps find inspiration.

These are people, too.

This is the other face of Trondheim, a side of Trondheim you would ignore.

Preface

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ig·nore

[ig-nawr, -nohr]

–verb (used with object), -nored, -nor·ing.

1.to refrain from noticing or recognizing: to ignore insulting remarks.

2.Law . (of a grand jury) to reject (a bill of indictment), as on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

Ignore The Word

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Origin: 1605–15; < Latin ignōrāre to not know, disregard, verbal derivative of ignārus ignorant, unaware (with -ō- perhaps from ignōtus unknown), equivalent to in- in-3 + gnārus knowing, acquainted (with); akin to ( g ) nōscere to know1

—Related formsig·nor·a·ble, adjectiveig·nor·er, nounun·ig·nor·a·ble, adjectiveun·ig·nor·a·b·ly, adverbun·ig·nored, adjective

—Synonyms 1. overlook; slight, disregard, neglect.

—Antonyms 1. notice, regard.

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Many of the foreign beggars on the streets of Norway come from the same place in Romania, namely the city of Arad, and from a romani background. They are part of the 2.5 to 3 million romanis in Romania, and, according to the World Bank, 3 out of 4 live under the poverty line.

They come to Norway because of poverty and lack of work. If you ask them, they will tell you that they are begging for a better life for their children. Romanian beggars pay between 200 and 300 Euros (1600-2400 Norwegian kroner) to be transported by bus to Norway. They take out loans at home, in a country of soaring interest rates, to finance the trip.

When they beg, they can earn up to 200 NOK on weekdays and 400 NOK on weekends. They often stay up to 15 people in a rented room, and some live in the woods. The claim that it is organized begging behind is greatly exaggerated, especially here in Trondheim. As part of the EEC, Norway has introduced transitional rules regarding immigration from Romania and Bulgaria after these countries joined the EU in 2007. 13 of 15 of the old EU countries have also imposed restrictions due to the high flow of poor people from these

countries. In most countries, as before, visas for up to 90 days can be granted. The media also has shared views on what to do with the situa-tion. And the political Norway is silent, except for the right wing “FRP”, that will “throw the crap out of the country “. The EU is trying to influence the new EU countries Romania and Bulgaria to improve conditions for all people of romani descent.

When it comes to the homeless, drug Addicts and Other disadvantaged, all have the option of going to a hostel, but due to the crowds gather-ing in these places, most of them choose not to. Homeless people often seek shelter for the night in parking garages, playrooms and in basements and attics in apartment buildings. Some security guards let them sleep in the building as long as they clean up after themselves, and sometimes they perform small crimes in the hopes of getting a night in a police station cell.

Many people gather in parks or other public places, where they both enjoy alcohol and taking drugs. Most people let them be alone and ignore them, because this is the easiest, most people find it uncomfortable, but many rarely think that these people have nowhere else to go.

The ignoredIn the streets of Trondheim

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12Octavian 12

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“My biggest dream and what I want here in life is to play the cello in a large orchestra, but the family decided that we had come here to Norway to play on the streets for money,

so I do what I have to do.”

Octavian, 19 years old, from Romania.

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“Some days are very long, cold and you feel very tired after a day in the street. And

sometimes I only have 20 kr after a whole day. Some days are very hard, specially when

its raining and people are rude.”

- Ecaterina

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15 Ecaterina

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“I miss my kids, but I do this for them. All I want is the chance to give them good education and food. “

Ecaterina, 33 years old, from Romania.

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18Ecaterina

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20Madalina 20

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“Norway is nice, but I miss Romania. I hope one day I can travel to other places where I maybe can take some education or get a job. I love to do things

with my hands so it has to be something creative. We would have to see. I still will work here three more years says my dad, and then I can go home.

I look forward to that!”

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“I love music, it makes me feel alive. Here I get to share my music with those who pass by, unfortunately it does not get in a lot of money at the end of the day, but I

love my instrument and the music we make together”

Vlad, 61 years old, from Romania.

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“My Wife works here in Trondheim with me, its nice to be together, but our three sons are back home in

Romania, the money goes to education to the two youngest.

And our Oldest have his own family, and just got a little daughter named Consanta, she is my heart, so a little that I

earn I will set away for her education.

- Vlad

Vlad

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29 n alley in TrondheimA

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“Was in Trondheim Centrum the other day and noticed that it sat beggars on every corner, and it annoys me. They sit there

and beg for money, with worn clothing and look miserable. I think its fake.

But I think it’s nice with accordion street performers, even though all is not as good,

it is much better than and hear:

“I need money, please!”

- Unknown woman Sør-Trøndelag

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“Beggars should be abolished entirely! Verily, it is annoying to give to them and it is annoying not to give to them”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

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“My leg hurts, it gets wors when its a bad weather. I would like to get surgery but the doctors don’t know if I will ever be ok even with the surgery. But thats a chance I am willing to take, I just have to gether enough money so I can get the operation. Then I will try to get a real job in Romania, I am really good to build things, and I have been working on houses before my leg got hurt. I dream of a house that is mine, that would make me very happy, so that is what I work for.

I miss my family in Romania, I have a lot of nieces and nephews that I love very much, I am their favorit ucnle, it makes me happy to think of them and the rest of the family.”

- Lucian- 43 years old from Romania

“I dream of a house..

.. that is mine”

- Lucian

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Usually people just walk by me every day.....

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...and usually, they just ignore me.

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The Trash

Whenever I hear about people talking about the subject about the beggars and addicts that we find around us in the streets, people find it easy to call them trash people or say things like “They are nothing better than trash anyway,

throw them out”.

They seem to forget that these people are humans too...

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he trash of rondheim

T“The trash of Trondheim” is what “Tom” calls himself and his friends. He even says that people have called him and his friends that. “Nobody really cares about us, but that’s fine, I don’t care about them either... “

“Laila” as she wants to call herself says the days goes easily by when she can set herself back here on a bench outside “The Church of Our Lady” in the centre of Trondheim. She sits there with three other guys but she says, “These are my only two real friends” showing me a Vodka bottle in the one hand and a Cider in the other.

She laughs and continues drinking.

Another man that does not want to give his name says they usually gather around this church or in the “Stiftsgårdparken”, where they

some times can buy and use drugs, or drink together. “Its nice to share your high with someone, and a little bottle of something strong.”

Usually I don’t like to get to close to people that are in the influence of alcohol or drugs, because it is difficult to anticipate what they will do. People mostly will ignore them, or let the police handle them. Its not allowed in Norway to drink in public, but many do it anyway. And when I mention this, “Tom” screams out “Fuck the police”; I guess he has some knowledge of how they act on things.

They seemed like OK people, but they would most of all just want to be left alone with their drinking. At the hospice where some of them lived, there where so many addicts making trouble and trash everywhere, it is much nicer to just sit outside in the June sun.

TT

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44Trash

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TThis is “Geir”; he is selling a streetmagazine called Sorgenfri. Streetmagazine movement consists of a number of publications in terms of format, content and frequency, but all share the same goal: To provide homeless, drug addicts and other disadvantaged people the opportunity to a slightly more dignified life through affiliation, employment and income.

How often have we not been annoyed buy someone screaming out what they are selling? Or stop you while you are on your way down the street trying to give you “the

most amazing offer ever!” “Geir” says he just ask people very quietly “Do you want to buy Sorgenfri”, because people can be rude so he does not want to annoy anyone unnecessary. Most of the time people just ignore him; look another way or just flies past him in a hurry. But he says, “Some people have a very thin skin for things, and almost looks for things to be a problem and start acting out on it, and here I stand on the street selling the magazine, an easy target for trouble”.

If you don’t want to buy it, you just can say “No thank you”, he concludes.

orgenfriS

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The man with the lovely eyes...

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TThis man sat on the street, staring right ahead of him, like he was dreaming himself away while I approached him. I asked him if I could take a photo of him, but he did not speak anything other than Romanian, so he touched himself on the chest with a surprised look like he could not be-lieve that I would take a picture of him. I nodded, and he gave me a big smile that revealed poor dental care but

also the joy of getting some attention. I started taking these photos and he seemed like a nice and kind man. After the photos, I gave him some coins and some cookies. I asked his name, but he did not understand. I pointed at myself and said my name and pointed back at him and he lighted up and said

“Me; Mircea”.

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Iit was only after I got home and started working trough the photos I came across one photo of this man, and I zoomed in and I was amazed. The most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. These

eyes must have seen a lot of history, seen a lot of ugly and beautiful. They are warm and kind, but with a glow as if you are staring into the eyes of a 20 year old.

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“There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion.”

- Francis Bacon

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“The poor have little, beggars none, the rich too much, enough not one.”

- Benjamin Franklin

57 Bogdana

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“We are all beggars, each in his own way.”

- Mark Twain

59 Daciana

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“Charity does not mean that the land should be full of beggars. We can provide some support and means for the beggars, but provide food, clothing and other

conveniences in such a way that you are not encouraging laziness and begging.”

- Sri Sathya Sai Baba

61Ionel

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This man touched my heart. While I was walking around taking photos of these people on the street, I noticed him. His hand was deformed, and he was missing many teeth. But when I asked him to take a photo of him as he smiled the widest smile I’ve ever seen and nodded.

He seemed a little embarrassed and shy of being photographed, but he appreciated the attention.

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64 Rotten Bike

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Sometimes we people can be the most ugly things in the world. We easily ignore people like trash. Do you care for the broken bicycle lying without its wheels in the ground?

These people are to me amazing. They get up every morning, with their dreams, with their wishes, sit on the street and watch us, stressing by to what we have to do. How they can get

trough the day watching us I don’t understand, and still keep their dreams. Maybe many of these people and others reach their dreams one day...

...But it will take much longer than it would have been for us, the others.

These people usually are ignored, but the ignored I think is beautiful in their own different ways.

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In the photographs

Those people who you have seen in these photos are real beggars from Romania that allowed med to take their photo, and they got coins and cookies for it and they told me a little about themselves. The people from outside the church also allowed me to take photos of them.

I have no knowledge of these people except when I met them while I was photographing them on 01 June 2011.

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Sources

Photos: Ida Lundemo

Homepages:

http://www.studenttorget.no/index.php?show=4939&expand=3797,4939&artikkelid=6636

http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/beggars/

http://www.diskusjon.no/index.php?showtopic=673863

http://www.babyverden.no/Nettsamfunn/Forum/Rom/Innlegg/?topicId=1395854

http://www.gatemagasinetsorgenfri.no/om_sorgenfri

http://skepsis.no/forum/index.php?topic=1232.0;wap2

http://www.adressa.no/nyheter/trondheim/article665901.ece

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ignore

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Ignore