Call-out for artists to ØKERN! in Oslo

Økern is one of Oslo’s most important industrial and transport hubs. Currently, the whole area is undergoing major development. In this connection, we are looking for art projects that take Økern as their starting point. Application deadline: 26 October 2020

The ØKERN! call-out is part of the Public Art and Urban Development initiative. This collaboration between the City of Oslo’s Agency for Cultural Affairs and Public Art Norway – KORO has been established in order to realize art projects in Hovinbyen.

- The purpose of the call-out is to engage artists to challenge and enrich conventional ways of thinking about art in the context of urban development, and thus contribute to the creation of an area rich in diversity, explains Mari Fredriksen Sundet, project manager at the City of Oslo’s Art Collection.

We welcome a wide range of responses to this call-out, but proposals should be based on local situations and environments.

The complete call-out text, background materials and application form (in both Norwegian and English) are available on the City of Oslo’s website for the Økern-project.

We will prioritize projects that are in some way linked to the local area, either through the participation oflocal residents or through links to local initiatives and organizations. 

- We are looking for art projects that take as their starting point Økern as it is today, and that also show an awareness of the history of the area, says Truls Ramberg, a curator at Public Art Norway – KORO.

The total budget for the art project(s) is NOK 1.5 million. The project(s) must be executed during 2021. In collaboration with Pådriv, workspaces in Hovinbyen will be made available for participating artists wishing to work in the area.

About ‘Public Art and Urban Development in Hovinbyen’ and ØKERN!

• This call-out forms part of the initiative Public Art and Urban Development in Hovinbyen, in which the City of Oslo (through its Agency for Cultural Affairs, Agency for Planning and Building Services, Agency for UrbanEnvironment and Cultural Heritage Management Office) is collaborating with Public Art Norway – KORO to realize a number of art projects in Hovinbyen in 2020-2023. The project is funded by the City of Oslo’s Art Programme, along with grants from Public Art Norway – KORO’s Art Programme for Local Communities (LOK).
• The overarching goal of the project is to develop new methods of working with artists in public spaces in the context of urban development.
• The City of Oslo envisages a gradual transformation of the area from an industrial area with many car dealers and storage facilities to a high-density residential and commercial neighbourhood. The City of Oslo’s goals include the provision of high-quality public spaces in the area, with parks, marketplaces and other public areas where people can socialize. The call-out is intended to ensure that art and artistic expertise play a part in the transformation of the area.
• In 2018, the British architecture, art and design collective Assemble was invited to conduct an analysis of the area. This analysis has served as the starting point for this and future call-outs. See the whole analyse here: Assemble’s site analysis Art in Hovinbyen.

• The Cultural Heritage Management Office’s report "Kulturminnegrunnlag for Hovinbyen" [an appraisal of the area’s heritage in Norwegian only]

• Steen & Strøm report [Norwegian only] (see related material below)

Any questions about art projects in relation to this call-out should be directed to:

Hans Christian Skovholt
Email: hanschristian@kul.oslo.kommune.no
Mobile: +47 984 07 685

Assemble’s study “Art in Hovinbyen”

Assemble’s study “Art in Hovinbyen” identifies the opportunity for a civic and progressive programme of public art commissioning that moves beyond the production of art objects and a focus on individual artistic practice. Rather than fund the production of ‘place-making’ public works of sculpture, installation or design, Assemble advocate for investment in artist-led projects produced in partnership with local communities and institutions, enabling the development of a network of locally-focused initiatives which share knowledge, increase access to cultural production and improve urban life. It promotes the potential for art and design practices to act as powerful tools in working to create an urban environment that can be more imaginative, shared, varied and open.

This open call seeks proposals from artists working in partnership with local groups or spaces, formal and informal, aiming to support a cultural infrastructure of situated spaces and programmes across Hovinbyen. We are looking to lay the foundations for a diverse network of projects that respond to the needs and ambitions of local communities in a sustained, open-ended way through evolving relationships between artists or artist groups and local organisations.

Collaborations may build on local initiatives that already exist or may propose a completely new project. In either situation it is important to communicate the way in which the practice of an artist or artist group will be employed to exceed tokenistic models of community projects or participatory art. Instead of focusing on fixed outcomes, projects should focus on building relationships that can respond to local issues. Successful projects should communicate both the initial ambitions for the project, but also set out the longer-term potential for the project to develop and grow into wide-reaching and resilient cultural resources that contribute to a richer and more equitable urban environment.