She Is, However, Hopeless (Inspection of the Underaged Underperformers)

Bjørøya Work Discipline Camp

My diorama of the Bjørøya Work Discipline Camp grew out of my research before my exhibition at Villa Fridheim. During World War II, the building served as an internment facility under the Law on the Prevention of Venereal Diseases. Young women considered a risk to German soldiers were detained here under strict supervision. The diorama aims to illuminate this dark chapter of Norwegian wartime history.

The Girls

One figure in the diorama has a shaved head. This punishment was used for disobedience, escape attempts, or foul language. Other forms of discipline included four days in a cell without food, waking at 4 a.m. for labor, or being sent to bed at 5 p.m.

The Director, the Nurse and the Guard

Some girls arrived still infected, so a small team of nurses cared for them. The nurses also reported on their behavior. The camp director, Nazi sympathizer Kaurin, decided the punishments.

Because the staff was limited, local residents were hired as guards, and people in the area were paid if they  captured girls who tried to escape.

The Room

There are no photographs from this period at Villa Fridheim. Therefore, the diorama is based on informed speculation. I chose to recreate a room that, judging by its size and layout, could have been used for basket-weaving.

Details and Interior Elements

The diorama includes several small objects, such as a nurse’s clipboard and a soaking bucket used in the basket-weaving process. I made the bucket from aluminum and filled it with crystal resin to imitate water.

On the wall, I added a board showing the camp’s rules, punishments, and the basis for detaining the girls. A portrait of a well-known Norwegian Nazi figure hangs beside it—an imagined detail that reflects the camp’s political leadership.

I included miniature letters to symbolize the personal correspondence often taken from the girls.

Research Material

A key source for this project was the book Jentene på Bjørøya by Dr. Knut Erich Papendorf, retired professor of criminology at the University of Oslo.

The title of the scene. “She Is, However, Hopeless” comes from a psychiatric report about one of the girls. “Underaged Underperformers” was an official term used to classify them—evidence of how the authorities viewed these women.

The Clothes

For the clothing, I selected fabrics that reflect the austerity of the 1940s. The girls had to bring their own garments, as no uniforms were provided.

Inspired by a family story—my grandmother sewing dresses from umbrella fabric during the war—I used a vintage children’s umbrella to create two of the dresses. Each girl also holds a small piece of leather on her lap while weaving baskets.

The Baskets

The girls made baskets according to their individual skills. They worked in groups of five, and each person handled a specific task.

For the diorama, I recreated miniature baskets from thinly cut materials. They are shown at different stages of production.

Propaganda Posters

I also recreated propaganda posters from the era, imagining that the camp’s Nazi-friendly director might have used them to decorate the walls.  I reinterpreted the figures as mice. The posters were painted in watercolor and gouache while keeping the colors and graphic impact of the originals.

Wood-Burning Stacked Stove

I reconstructed in detail the large wood-burning stacked stove that still is in Villa Fridheim. I built it from cardboard, polymer clay, and metal.

For the rest of the interior, I relied on informed imagination. Simple tables and stools were probably built locally or borrowed for the new purpose of the space.

Villa Fridheim

Villa Fridheim is a  Swiss-style wooden mansion located on the shores of Lake Krøderen in Norway. Built in the late 1800s as a summer residence,  this now museum is one of Norway’s largest and best-preserved wooden buildings from that era.

https://buskerudmuseene.no/villafridheim/arets-utstilling-2025