THE CLOWN
Some voices stay with us for life. They live in the body, carry memory, and quietly shape who we become. For me, one of those voices was Bamse’s, created by the Danish actor Søren Hauch-Fausbøll.
When I was born, my father gave me a teddy bear. Not just any bear, but Bamse, the same character Søren brought to life for millions of children. That bear followed me through life, across countries and continents, even with me to the US, carrying a sense of home when everything else felt unfamiliar. And long before I met Søren, his voice had already been there, appearing again and again in different roles, always recognisable, always warm.
Years later, on a cold winter day by the sea in Denmark, I finally photographed the man behind the voice. Søren is far more than a single character. He is an actor, comedian, hospital clown, and part of our shared cultural memory. Gentle, humble, deeply creative, and unmistakably human.
On the beach, as he stepped into character, something shifted. The moment the red nose came on, the magic was instant. I laughed so hard I nearly forgot to photograph, carried by a voice that unlocked decades of memories.
That evening, back home in Sweden, my inner child was quietly ecstatic.
The artist in me proud.
Some days stay with you.
This was one of them.
