Sveinung Nygaard

- I am composer of music for film and tv series. I play guitar and also have my ambient viking music project FLYT for which I travel to places around Europe to record music and combine them in to a musical mosaic.

- What motivated you to take part in our project?

- When I travelled to Ukraine the autumn of 2021 I saw art and artists that were real, that meant something and that had purpose. I wanted to learn from this and also help introduce European artists to Ukrainians. There is so much to learn from each other and I believe art has a role to play these days where we see concrete battles for identity and who we want to be.

- How did the war in Ukraine affect you personally?

- When the war started suddenly a lot of my friends were either fleeing or stuck in bomb shelters. This was a shock to me. I have not been under threat myself but some of my friends have died. It has been surreal and crazy to see Ukraina and lives being thrown into chaos but also inspiring to hear the stories of courage and determination.

- Tell about your project partner. What is common between you? And what are the differences that make you complement each other?

- I met Polina in Kharkiv in November 2021 along with some other artists and immediately connected with the colours, honesty and purposefulness of her paintings. I felt there was a lot of music and story in her painting that I feel inspired to explore.

- A few words about your joint work. Why did you decide to implement this idea?

- We will combine some of Polina's paintings as well as videos from her journeys with my music to let the audience experience two different ways of looking at the same theme.

- What would you like to wish the audience of the project?

- I hope people can feel the strength of the Ukrainian people through our piece and that my music can help tell the story with the painting of the hope for a better future.

- The first thing you will do when the war is over.

- I am planning on travelling to Kyiv and Kharkiv to meet friends there and build more bridges between Ukraine and Europe

- What is the main message of your art work?

- That aggression is not the last word and that, naive as it sound, beauty can be a practical tool for the future in its many forms.