JØRN TOMTER
Jørn Tomter lives and works in Hackney, London. Jørn studied photography at London College of Printing, but said that it seems to be such a long time ago now. He has never managed to leave London, with the exception of two years in Berlin.
Jørn takes time to work on personal projects to further develop his photographic style and to feed his curiosity. He loves to document people in communities and tell stories about their everyday lives. In 2007 Jørn published a photography book — The Norwegian Way — about a youth festival that takes place every year in Norway. He is currently publishing a magazine about the residents in his neighbourhood around Chatsworth Road in east London.
A few years ago when Jørn’s first son was born, he wanted to experience as much of his son’s earlier years as he possibly could. He didn’t feel like traveling much, so he decided to look for a photography project close to home. He embarked on a mission to create a photographic archive of his new neighbourhood in East London. His aim was to photograph as many people and places as possible; he organised pop-up studios offering free portraits, photographed people in their homes, took pictures of shop owners and anything else that he found interesting. Hundreds of people have been photographed, and some, several times since he has started. As the project evolved, Jørn decided he wanted to create a magazine to put the photos in, and now he is the publisher of a magazine released from time to time. Besides photographing, the project has given him a new experience directing and working with a small team of designers, editors and writers. He has discovered that there are always new things to explore on his doorstep and have made friends from all walks of life, whom he would never have met if it hadn’t been for this project.
Jørn Tomter bor i London, hvor han jobber på oppdrag fra kunder og med egne prosjekter. I Norge har han dokumentert russefeiringen over fem år som resulterte i boken The Norwegian Way. I 2010 ville han bevise at det er mulig å finne gode historier i sitt eget nabolag. Jørn startet I Love Chatsworth Road, hvor han fotograferer mennesker og steder i og omkring gata Chatsworth Road i Hackney. Siden har Jørn fotografert hundrevis av mennesker i folks hjem, på gata, i spontane portrett studioer, i butikker og mye mer. Prosjektet eksisterer nå som et selvpublisert magasin med bidrag fra dyktige journalister, designere og illustratører.
I Love Chatsworth Road magasinet er i skrivende stund i sitt sjette nummer og har et opplag på 5000.
Jørn Tomter is represented by Tea & Water Pictures for commercial work.
** Click on image to view its full size.
Kaye in her living room at home. She has lived in her house all her life and is a keen photographer.
From the pop-up portrait studio series.
A group of sibilings waiting for their mum to come home.
Esther and Ricardo with their son in front of their garden shed where they started The Roasting Shed. The business has grown since the photo was taken and today they have moved on to bigger premises.
Portrait of a family in their home.
Hafza is a practioner of Sufism and together with her son they run a shop on Chatsworth Road called A Taste Of Reality. It is hard to find anyone more friendly than Hafza.
Dom and Eva photographed when they first opened their cafe 46b Espresso Hut.
Amaria Braithwaite is just 13, but she has already won a TV talent show, appeared on the same bill as Leona Lewis, performed at Radio 1’s Big Weekend and represented Hackney on stage in New York.
Zosienka, a local illustrator, at her workdesk overlooking the River Lea.
’The Eagle’ at the local boxing club Pedro. The club has a rich history and Elizabeth Taylor was a patron and visited it twice.