Dagens Næringsliv

The illustrations

Illustrations for the column ”Slik lever vi nå” (This is how we live now), a weekly column about mundane life in the 21th Century in Norway.

Illustrating Norwegian Traits

The Norwegian Trekking Association (den norske turistforening) is an association that since 1868 upholds trekking trails and cabins in the Norwegian mountains. The offer to stay overnight in the cabins is open for anyone against a small symbolic deposit fee. Because only 41 of the cabins are staffed, the offer relies a great deal on people’s good faith to leave the cabins in a proper condition. These illustrations where for an article in the "This is how we live now" series, addressing stories of when the cabins by no means where left in the state one wishes to find accommodation situated off the beaten track.

22. July Attack

The topic of the column was mostly lighthearted with a focus on life with social media, but after the terrorist attack on 22.07.2011 in Oslo it also got serious. Emil explaines:

A few days after the attack i was in Oslo an walked in a parade for peace remorse and understanding. In this parade flowers was layed everywhere, strangers behaved like friends, and even 6 years later i can still remember hope beautiful it was. When I was commissioned one week after to illustrate an article describing this event, my idea was to use hands as symbols. Victims were shown as a stopping force, smaller but overwhelming in numbers, and therefor a hopeful defence against the violence of the single terrorist. He took many lives, but he united more against himself and his cause.

The characters

Over the years many different versions of "Norwegians" were drawn to enact or visualise the different stories of contemporary Norway, often in a conceptual way morphing the character with its act.

The technique

for the column Emil used mainly ink on paper and photoshop for coloring. But the Newspaper was also supportive towards experimentation.