Returning for its thirteenth series, Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild sees adventurer Ben Fogle meeting people who have turned their backs on the rat race to build new lives in some of the most remote locations in the UK and beyond. Check local listings for how to watch in your area, also available on Apple TV.
In Episode 2, Ben travels deep into the forested wilderness of Norway to stay with two artists who have created a life shaped entirely around creativity and nature. Trond, a 69-year-old Norwegian visual artist, and Robert, his 61-year-old Lebanese best friend and business partner, relocated to the Norwegian wilds later in life. Despite both living with serious health challenges, they continue to expand and nurture Natthagen, their artist-run cultural space and residency set among the pine forests of Julussdalen.
During his stay, Ben immerses himself in their daily routines, from physical work around the property to time spent inside their studios. He dyes wool, helps construct a human-sized artistic ant’s nest, sleeps in a whimsical “doll’s house,” and swims in a nearby forest lake. Along the way, Trond and Robert share their personal histories, their creative practices, and their philosophy of living in and with nature, while opening their home to guests, visiting artists, and the wider community, often over homemade waffles.
What emerges is a warm and thoughtful portrait of late-life creativity, artistic collaboration, and a life built far from conventional structures, rooted instead in craft, landscape and quiet exchange.
Can you tell us about your individual backgrounds and how you started working together creatively?
Trond: I am a visual artist, educated at the National College of Arts and Crafts and the Academy of Fine Arts in Bergen, Norway.
Robert: I hold a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Beirut University College, now known as the Lebanese American University (LAU). I later trained in computer graphic design at LBCI in Lebanon and at Dubai TV.
We shared common interests in art and craft, among other things, and quickly recognized how well our skills complemented each other. We also shared the same desire to start a “new life” centered around the arts. Trond wanted to establish a gallery, and I wanted to leave Dubai, so we decided to start a gallery together.
What drew you to such a remote forested landscape in Norway?
The need to get out of a housing estate and back to nature, where I (Trond) spent parts of my childhood, back to my “Forest Finn” (Skogfinner) roots. We lived a life with a lot of auditory and visual noise and were tired of it. For my art, I needed some peace. We both needed to restart our creative lives, and what better place to do it than in the forest?
How would you describe Natthagen?
When we started the Natthagen project, we said: if Natthagen were a smell, it should be cinnamon, and if it were a flower, it should be an iris. Today, we say it is a place of peace, with clean air, artistic, creative, interesting, challenging, and wonderful, filled with nice guests and great artists.
What can visitors expect to find there?
We run an art and culture path through the forest with installations by international artists, as well as a local historic museum, a gallery, a concert room, studios, a summer café, good conversations, beautiful surroundings, including a lake just a five-minute walk away, and plenty to discover. Most of all, visitors find peace and a quiet atmosphere, far away from hectic city life.
How does living and working so closely with nature influence your art?
Trond: I am living with nature, and for years I have been working with a theme called “the space between” — between trees, people, and so on. I hope the viewer can sense the silence of nature in my work.
There is also more awareness of using natural materials, tempera instead of acrylics, wool and cotton instead of synthetic materials, and so on. The Nordic light influences both of us in the use of color.
Tell us about the range of art you create? Do you work individually or together?
Trond: I mainly work with watercolor, classic tempera on wood, but also with graphics, drawing and textiles.
Robert: I work with graphic design and textiles. I have studied bobbin lace in Italy and am interested in old Norwegian techniques such as knitting, tatting and lace.
We like to discuss art, and when it feels natural, we work together on craft projects. Robert also helps as an assistant when needed.
You recently took part in Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild. What was that like?
It was a great experience; Ben was nice and the crew – we loved them all from the first moment. We learned a lot about filming and about seeing our property with different or “new” eyes.
What do you hope viewers take away from seeing Natthagen and your creative lives on screen?
We hope viewers feel inspired and maybe start thinking about the possibility of stopping a little, rethinking their lives, and considering the possibilities that life can give. That it is possible to have a decent life in the wild, and that they always follow their hearts.
What challenges come with sustaining a space like that and what keeps you motivated to continue?
The challenge is to protect nature. Today, timber prices are high, and a lot of forest is being cut down. We want to keep ours and create art within it. We have seen that there are fewer birds, they need the forest. Our motivation is nature itself: taking care of it and combining that with art, and seeing the joy of visitors when they come, or the reactions of residency artists when they discover how peaceful and quiet it is.’
How would you describe what Natthagen is today, how it has evolved since it began in 2003, and how do you see it developing in the future?
Natthagen has changed quite a lot since we started, from having no experience running a gallery to becoming part of the international residency scene. It was a big change to go from renting a space to owning our own property. The gallery has always been there. When you own your property, it is both easier and more challenging to develop. There are more financial responsibilities and worries. We are satisfied, but we want to continue progressing, for the sake of art, craft, and nature.
For the future, we have many plans, but we need to save money first (we never do things before we have the money in the account). On our wish list, in order of priority:
- To build a small artist residence so artists can stay throughout the
- To build a small art house in the woods, an “all beliefs house”, where four people with different views of life can sit together and discuss different themes. We have already made sketches for this house.
- The Natthagen art laboratory – we have a shed we want to rebuild into an art
- To further develop the art and culture path with new
- To build an extension to the old house (an indoor toilet). At the moment, you need to walk 50 metres to your private toilet and shower.
- Beneath the old barn, which is now a small gallery, there is a beautiful room we would like to develop into a small project space for art installations during the summer.
You run residencies welcoming artists from Norway and abroad. What do you look for in applicants and what do you hope artists take away from the time spent at Natthagen?
The resident artists we like to host are those who fit our philosophy of “living in and with nature”. Artists who need to work in peaceful surroundings. They must not be afraid of silence or being alone, as many people are. Early communication is important, so we can get to know each other a little and avoid difficulties later.
We hope residency artists remember Natthagen as a good working environment, that we have all learned something from nature or from each other, and that the artist has been able to open new creative doors and make artistic progress. We also hope they experience that it is possible to live remotely.
What advice would you give to artists who are considering residencies, rural working environments, or alternative ways of structuring their creative lives?
Giving advice is difficult, what fits us may not fit others. But we can recommend being independent and planning your shopping, as it is usually done every 14 days. There is no public transport, and no bars or restaurants nearby.
Our residency house (from 1790) has no running water, so water must be collected from the main house, as was done in the past. There is electricity, but the internet can be unstable. You need to be able to handle silence, the long daylight in summer, and being on your own, though we are always nearby if needed and happy to have artist talks in the Winter Garden.
Since there is no art materials shop nearby, you need to structure your work so you bring what you need or can work with what you find in nature. As an artist myself, there will always be some materials in reserve.
Once you get over these things, doors will open to your creative life.
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For more information, visit https://natthagen.no/
Follow Natthagen on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/natthagen
All images courtesy of Natthagen and Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild
The post Artists in a Forest in Norway: Trond and Robert appeared first on Art Business News.
