Instagram story viewer> @bjerasch> Posts

Bjørn Erik Rasch

@bjerasch

1.2K

followers

1791

following

From wilderness to city streets. Abstract and minimal spaces.
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Geometry in the mist

Long before the waterfront became a bustling cultural hub, the location of Oslo's Opera House was a subject of fierce political debate. Yet, since its completion in 2008, Snøhetta's iconic marble slopes have belonged entirely to the public.

Captured in the early summer of 2021, the building’s sharp angles fade beautifully into the heavy fog. Look closely, and the tiny silhouettes of people walking the roof reveal the true scale of this iconic landmark, emerging from the fjord like an iceberg.

-
—
#minimalmood #minimalisticphotography #oslooperahouse #snøhetta #OsloArchitecture #Bjørvika #Visitoslo #ArchitectureGeometry #minimalistarchitecture #ʙʟᴀᴄᴋᴀɴᴅᴡʜɪᴛᴇᴘʜᴏᴛᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜʏ #Monochrome_Architecture #StreetPhotographyNorway #magasin_no #oslo_spc taken in Opera House, Oslo by @bjerasch

524

58

5 years ago

Anticipation

Blooming with brilliant yellow flowers before its green leaves even emerge, the forsythia stands as a beautiful symbol of anticipation and renewal. These vibrant, golden blossoms bring an immediate sense of joy and positivity, capturing the fresh, energizing spirit of early spring.
-
-
-
#forsythia #centralpark #72ndstreet #nyc_explorers #newyork #nyc #spring #visualtraveller #photoabstract #abstractphoto #abstractphotography #citylandscape #somewheremagazine #artclassified #seterveien_nordstrand #upperwestside #manhattannyc #magasin_no #woofermagazine #centralparknyc #exploreobserveshare #fivesixmag #minimalalert #springwatch by @bjerasch

3

5

8 years ago

Bowing or dominating? 🌫️

When the Spanish architect Juan Herreros designed the new MUNCH museum, his vision was for the top cantilever to bow respectfully towards Oslo. Yet, as it approached completion in early summer 2021, the building faced heavy criticism for being too dominant and disruptive to the skyline.

Captured here just months before its official opening, the silhouette emerges from the heavy fjord fog at a time when the surrounding neighborhood was still far from finished. A silent monument to our greatest artist.
-
-
-
#munch #OsloArchitecture #EstudioHerreros #LambdaOslo #Bjørvika #OsloFjord #Visitoslo #BlackAndWhiteArchitecture #MonochromePhotography #FineArtArchitecture #MistyWeather #OsloNoir #oslo_spc taken in MUNCH by @bjerasch

501

44

5 years ago

"To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven:
A time to build up, a time to break down.
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
– The Byrds / Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

Beneath the fog on the first image lies an agricultural landscape where the land has been farmed since the Viking Age. Hidden in the hillside are the remnants of Bekreholt, an old summer farm (heimstøl). These outposts were used for early-season grazing before the livestock were sent to the high mountains.

These 19th-century structures were built from malmfuru—slow-growing Scots pine naturally saturated with resin. While the timber walls still resist decay, the collapsing structures show the end of an old way of life. taken in Haugsnatten by @bjerasch

90

4

3 days ago

"Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone"
- The Doors taken in Skarvheimen by @bjerasch

101

13

6 days ago

Twilight balance, Vatsfjorden, Ål.

Bringing to mind a verse from the Viking Age poem cycle Hávamál (based on oral tradition from around year 960) about balance:

You should be only a little wise,
never too wise.
A wise man’s heart is seldom glad,
if he knows everything.
— Poetic translation Jackson Crawford, 2019

Måteleg klok kvar mann vere;
ovklok vere han ikkje.
For sjeldan er hugnad i hjarta å finne
hjå honom som ovklok er.
— Gjendiktning Ivar Mortensson-Egnund, 1928

Meðalsnotr
skyli manna hverr,
æva til snotr sé;
því at snotrs manns hjarta
verðr sjaldan glatt,
ef sá er alsnotr, er á.
— Hávamál (Strofe 55)

-
-
-
-
#skarvheimen #hallingdal #diffuselight #nordicscollective #waterreflectionphotography by @bjerasch

105

14

10 days ago

Summertime, and the livin' is easy❄️

1. On the way down
2. Up close
3. Reineskarvet mountain plateau (1,791 masl). taken in Reineskarvet by @bjerasch

77

6

11 days ago

"The waters were as calm as a mirror, reflecting the trees upon the bank with a fidelity that blurred the line between substance and shadow."
– Charles Dickens

In Old Norse mythology, the birch tree holds a sacred space. Known as Bjarkan—from the ancient root word meaning "bright" or "shining"—it was revered as the tree of light. Associated with the goddesses Frigg and Freya, the birch symbolized spring, renewal, and new beginnings.
-
-
-
-
#hadeland #minimalphotography #minimalphoto #photoreflection #waldliebe taken in Jarenvannet by @bjerasch

86

19

13 days ago

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light.”
– Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Autumn in Paris. You notice it in the empty green chairs left behind in the Luxembourg Gardens, in the bare branches reflected in rain puddles, and in the morning water clearing fallen leaves from the gutters.

Many would mistake these leaves for maple, but they actually belong to the London plane tree (Platanus), the true signature of Paris. The tree is not native to the area; it is a remarkably hardy hybrid that came into being in the 1600s through a chance cross-pollination between Asian and North American varieties.

Introduced during Baron Haussmann’s massive urban renewal in the 1850s, this exceptionally resilient and low-maintenance tree was chosen to line the new, grand boulevards. To this day, they make up about 40% of the city's street trees, uniquely shedding their bark in large flakes to rid themselves of urban soot and toxins. taken in Paris, France by @bjerasch

71

4

16 days ago

“You don't improve nature. You reveal your impression of nature or nature's impact on you.”
– Ansel Adams

Soon, winter will be here, and the last autumn colors will be replaced by pure white and fifty shades of grey.

This brings to mind Arild Nyquist's naivist poem “Årets tider” (no official English version exists):

Nå er høsten her
og høsten er en liten gul mann
som kommer ut av skogen
med kofferten sin og plukker lauvet ned av
trærne og tar med seg blomsterstilkene og mange
av fuglene, og så maler han himmelen
grå og mørk, og lager triste søledammer i veiene.

Så kommer en liten hvit dame
og det er vinteren det, og hun har spade og ryggsekk
med seg og legger snø utover markene, og snøklatter
oppe i trærne, og så gir hun mennesket tykke
skjerf og luer og røk ut av
munnene - og røk ut av pipene
på husene også - og himmelen maler hun kald og
hvit og gir lufta kuldegrader. by @bjerasch

111

12

18 days ago

«C'est pour capturer la beauté des rues et des jardins, sous la pluie et le brouillard, et pour capturer la nuit parisienne que j'ai utilisé la photographie.»

“It is to capture the beauty of the streets and gardens, in the rain and fog, and to capture the Parisian night that I used photography.”
– Brassaï

The empty streets and the vibrant light from the cafés easily bring to mind Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. But while he captured the quiet loneliness of Greenwich Village in New York, this is a rainy autumn night in Paris.

Nearly a century ago, the legendary photographer Brassaï wandered these same streets, pioneering the art of capturing Paris after dark. Walking around, you realize that the city's nightly magic hasn't changed.

Even grey, rainy nights can surprise with a richness of color from neon lights and streetlights reflecting in the asphalt and windows, turning dark, gloomy streets into something special. by @bjerasch

72

0

21 days ago

“How fair wert thou in simmer time, wi’ all thy clusters white;
But richer falls thy autumn dress, wi’ berries red and bright.”
— Traditional Scottish Folk Song, «The Rowan Tree»

Rowan berries lighting up the landscape seen from in the mountain village of Leveld.

Looking at this heavy, vibrant load of red berries, old Norwegian folklore immediately comes to mind. There has always been a debate in the inland valleys about what a rich rowan harvest actually means for the coming winter.

One old weather sign firmly states that "the rowan does not carry two burdens in the same year." This means that a massive amount of berries omens a mild winter with very little snow, as the branches have already carried their heavy load. However, another widespread tradition claims the exact opposite: an abundance of berries is nature’s way of preparing a feast for the birds before an exceptionally harsh and snow-deep winter arrives. Modern meteorologists have proven that the berries tell us nothing about the future—they simply summarize a warm and successful past summer.

Botanically, this is likely a "mountain rowan" (fjellrogn). While common rowan trees prefer the lowlands, this hardened subspecies grows as a sturdy, multi-stemmed bush or small tree and can climb as high as 1500 meters above sea level in Southern Norway. Along Midtbygdvegen, at around 700-800 meters, it thrives beautifully.

Today we associate these berries with rowanberry jelly paired with wild game, but back in the old farming society, refined sugar was a rare and expensive luxury. Instead, the bittersweet berries were dried and used as folk medicine against scurvy, or gathered as nutritious winter feed for livestock.

In Norse mythology, the rowan was actually considered a sacred tree of protection, closely tied to Thor. Legend has it that Thor was once crossing the raging river Vimur when the waters rose violently. He managed to save himself from drowning by grabbing onto a rowan branch on the riverbank. After that, the tree was known as "Thor’s salvation." For centuries, people planted a rowan in the courtyard or hung branches above the barn doors to protect the farm and the animals from evil forces. by @bjerasch

71

5

24 days ago