Exhibition opening: First Strike City by Dan Mariner
Security, sovereignty and the shadows of conflict - welcome to the opening of the exhibition First Strike City by Dan Mariner on June 14!
Photo: Nordland Museum
A broader perspective
On Saturday, June 14th at 12:00, Dan Mariner is ready to show the exhibition First Strike City to the public.
Dan has been working with motifs from the disused military air base in Bodø, over a period of eight months. The work focuses on the brutal encroachment of the military infrastructure into the surrounding landscape, and the secrecy of the highly secure facility located within walking distance of a large, densely populated city.
The exhibition that will take place at the City Museum is a continuation of Dan's contribution in the previous project "The Forbidden City", where Dan was one of three artists exploring Herne's new district, the interaction between art and culture, planes and birds, and how this has changed throughout history. The works were displayed at 21 different bus shelters around the city.
We chatted with Dan Mariner in his own studio NOUA, which he runs with his wife Marianne.
Photo: Nordland Museum
"It has been a big job, just to gain access to the air station in Bodø, and here the Bodø municipality has done an excellent job. I feel privileged to have been able to take part in this project, but also to be able to present my own exhibition that encompasses a broader perspective," says Mariner excitedly.
Dan goes on to say that it was a long process before he was granted access to the air station, where he had to carefully present what he wanted to do in the area, and introduce them to his world. However, he says that the process was based on mutual respect, where both parties understood each other's work. After two or three months, he finally gained access.
"Walking in the area with a camera, with idyllic nature and birdsong, was something special," says Dan.
Photo: Dan Mariner
Exhibition theme
The exhibition First Strike City is based in Bodø, Norway – a city that was long central to the defense of NATO’s northern flank. Until its closure in 2022, Bodø served as the headquarters of the Norwegian Air Force and played a crucial role in NATO operations during the Cold War. The city’s strategic location within the Arctic made it a cornerstone of the West’s defense strategy – and now, with rising geopolitical tensions and a new wave of Russian aggression, Bodø’s importance has once again become acute.
In 2025, Bodø and Northern Norway were once again highlighted as a key region in Europe’s defense landscape, and the city was nominated as a possible location for NATO’s new Combined Air Operations Centre. Thus, Bodø has once again become a “first strike city” – a possible frontline in a new form of warfare, where cyberattacks, disinformation and conventional military power merge in what is called hybrid warfare.
Across Europe, a significant number of NATO installations are located in close proximity to large civilian populations. This exhibition invites the public to ask an uncomfortable but necessary question:
Is the proximity of military infrastructure to urban life an inevitable price for national security?
Through contemporary photography, immersive soundscapes, and moving images, First Strike City explores the often invisible strategies of deterrence and balance of power that characterize our time. It sheds light on the hidden dynamics of today's global power struggles – no longer played out on open battlefields, but in data centers, airbases, and information flows, where entire populations can become both shields and targets.
A special soundscape in the exhibition
The soundscape in the exhibition consists of three layers - a combination of transmissions from various encrypted military communications from Russia and NATO, both current and historical. These transmissions are often used to convey secret orders and fill our airwaves at all times, completely silent to the general public. Interwoven with these sporadic transmissions are recordings from the coast around the city, with sounds that are easily recognizable from daily life in the city. The final layer is carefully constructed leads and drones, played in G minor to introduce a sense of unrest and disturbance to the listener.
“The unrest that the audience will experience from the soundscape is designed to convey the fragility of modern life and how vulnerable our way of life is to serious disruption from a nation with ill intentions,” says Dan.
Are secure sovereign borders an illusion today?
In a time when security and sovereignty are increasingly intertwined with vulnerability and exposure, the exhibition asks a pressing question: What does security cost? And who pays the bill?
“Security costs money, but for me it is important to have faith in a common system, while also understanding that the world is not utopian. Humans have shown us that it is not like that, and you have to pay in money and security. Can you say that sovereign borders are an illusion today?”
Photo: Dan Mariner