Tor Kvarv is a local artist who has a large network of local and regional contacts and who knows Bodø¸ and the area involved in this project extremely well. Tor is an active member of the local and national art scenes and was the organizer of a series of public art history lectures held at Bodø’s Stormen Library. His artistic practice and style reflect a documentary approach, while his work also reflects an inquisitive and imaginative approach to the natural world.

Tor Kvarv has previously assembled his own wunderkammer (‘wonder-rooms’), which made reference to the Renaissance and Enlightenment in European history, when rare, exotic or unusual objects both natural and artificial were presented in cabinets of curiosities.  In this series, Tor has combined plane- and bird-related elements with fake ‘rarities’ to create displays that are both humorous and informative. Tor’s drawings show how aircraft designers have been inspired by birds and other creatures of the air, ever since humans first started to imagine the possibility of flight. By copying birds’ anatomy, movements and not least their ability to navigate, humans have succeeded in conquering the air. The extraordinary ability of birds to adapt to the laws of physics and aerodynamics has guided technological and electronic progress. But even today, birds are better navigators than even the most advanced aircraft.  

The drawings are a slightly humorous celebration of some of the most familiar bird species found around Bodø¸ Airport.