Helge Skodvin

 

Boring and beautiful

2 850 000 Volvo 240 cars were made between 1974 and 1993. It became the car of choice of the Nordic countries. 84 287 were sold in Norway. I have started photographing these cars as they are parked. In front of a house, in a driveway, in a parking lot, in a garage, alongside a road, in a courtyard. In their natural habitat.
With these photographs I want to show how we live, how our surroundings look. I wish to portray the everyday landscape. More than any other car, the 240 became a symbol of Norwegian and Nordic values.
The safe, the sound, the commonplace. Square and homely, yet solid and reliable. Function over form. No frills. Taking you from A to Z. A car. An ambassador for the Scandinavian social democracy.
There are still approximately 17 000 registered 240s rolling on Norwegian roads.
In 2011 this project was selected to take part in the Norwegian Journal of Photography.
All images © Helge Skodvin