Stone from a vicarage in Alstahaug to the Government Quarter!
The working title of the artwork is Substitute, and the urban floor at Johan Nygaardsvolds plass facing Akersgata will become one of the largest publicly accessible areas for art in the new Government Quarter. The square marks the entrance to the area itself. It will provide space for large and small public events and general public life.
Central to Jumana Manna’s proposal is the reuse of stone sourced from existing buildings, infrastructure, reconstructions and landfills in municipalities throughout the country. Stone has been donated from, among other things, pavements, bridges, fences, walls, dams, power stations, factories, town halls, schools and churches, including Stamnes Vicarage in Sandnessjøen. The various stones will add an element of irregularity and spontaneity to the urban floor, while also marking a contrast to the otherwise strict architecture and design of the square.
- My proposal examines Norway’s material history in relation to nature and extraction, economics and identity. Through the work, I will explore recycling or reuse as a conceptual and infrastructural ethic, and highlight the idea that something must be sacrificed for a collective to continue to live and grow sustainably together, says Jumana Manna.
The artwork points to the work being carried out in the Government Quarter. This is where policies are developed that have consequences for each and every one of us. The work also points to the fact that our society consists of many people, each of whom is different, says Minister of Culture Anette Trettebergstuen in a comment. The director of KORO, Sigurd Sverdrup Sandmo, is responsible for carrying out the competition and also appointed the jury. - I congratulate Jumana Manna on the commission and thank the jury for its excellent work. Manna’s project demonstrates a great understanding of the public sphere in which the work will exist. Both the process itself and the finished result will open up conversations and reflection on the country we live in, and on power, democracy, the state and the individual, says Sigurd Sverdrup Sandmo.
OVF Director Ole-Wilhelm Meyer also believes that the artwork is based on an excellent idea, and is very pleased that a stone from the vicarage will become part of this mosaic. – Vicarages have historically played an important role in the development of society, and the symbolic value of this stone continuing to live on in a work of art for the future, in such a central location, is significant. We are very pleased to be able to contribute in this way together with Alstahaug Municipality, says Meyer,
