Not directly hit - VOL Tromsø (2014)

We insist on being friendly in the face of all the unknown. We assume that if we are just friendly enough, conflicts will be revealed as misunderstandings.

In the fall of 2014, the struggle between nationalists and us "multiculturalists" is more irreconcilable than ever.

How do we face hate, those of us who don't believe that higher walls, more armed police, and stronger surveillance are the answer? We who are "not directly affected" and who like to retreat to our personal (art) sphere when the world doesn't behave the way we want. Can we acquire new tools in the fight against hate?

For our part, kindness has always been a natural tool in meeting new environments and people. We are friendly and like to believe that if we are just friendly enough, what seem like insurmountable problems will turn out to be misunderstandings. But hate kills. Our kindness is seemingly helpless.

ABOUT HATE AND KINDNESS is based on excerpts from the book Ikkje direkt råka by Maria Tryti Vennerød, a collection of diary entries written during the trial of the terrorist Behring Breivik after July 22nd.