Pressemelding -
Mosaic workshop at Johan Nygaardsvolds plass in Oslo
As part of the work on the national memorial to the victims of the 22 July attack, the 22 July Centre and KORO (Public Art Norway) invite survivors, the bereaved and young people to add mosaics to the memorial together with artist Matias Faldbakken.
Between now and 9 May, the mosaic picture will take shape in a temporary workshop in the Government Quarter. To this end, invited groups – survivors, the bereaved, others directly touched by the attack, and younger generations – will contribute to the work of adding the last 7,000 stones to the mosaic. In addition, there will be open days when the general public are invited to visit the mosaic workshop.
“The memorial is an important symbol that our democracy withstood even this gravest of threats. For the government, inclusion and openness have been central to the process. The invitation to survivors, other affected people, the younger generation and the public to take part in completing the mosaic at the memorial site, sets a strong signal that we stand united against terror, extremism and the forces of totalitarianism. We will never forget the terrorist attack on the Government Quarter and on Utøya,” says Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance Karianne Oldernes Tung. The Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance (DFD) is the commissioner for the memorial.
The memorial itself, Upholding, is constructed around the enormous steel frame that was used to preserve and move Picasso’s The Fishermen from the former Y-block. As reimagined by the artist Matias Faldbakken, this structure is filled with a monumental stone mosaic. Designed to reflect the landscape of Utøya and Tyrifjorden, the image of the mosaic shows a small wading bird, reeds and twigs reflected in the water.
A meaningful act
Large parts of the mosaic have been created by the Italian firm Fantini Mosaici, in close collaboration with Faldbakken. A few sections have been left blank to receive the last 7,000 stones, which are now being laid in Oslo. The work marks the end of a long process that has involved many participants.
“The work on this memorial has been a very special process. The path from the sketch stage to the finished work has been an ongoing dialogue with the various people concerned. Many different groups have been involved in ensuring the memorial is ready for the fifteenth anniversary. We have wanted all along to invite the Support Group, the Workers’ Youth League (AUF), survivors, the bereaved and others to play a decisive role in the laying of the mosaic,” says Faldbakken.
“Laying a mosaic is a very tactile activity,” says the artist. “It feels meaningful to be able to share this act with others.”
KORO has had responsibility for the international competition that resulted in Faldbakken receiving the commission to design the new memorial. The work on the mosaic is being undertaken in collaboration with KORO and the 22 July Centre.
“The attack of 22 July was a turning point in Norwegian history. Seventy-seven people died in an outrage that targeted young people, society and our democracy. This memorial is about holding on to what happened – and to the people we lost. The completion of the work through an act of co-creation amounts to a resolute gesture; in coming together to lay the stones one by one, we perpetuate the memories among a wider circle of people,” says Lena Fahre, director of the 22 July Centre.
As a national centre for commemoration and learning under the administration of the Ministry of Education and Research (KD), the 22 July Centre has a significant role in spreading knowledge about the terrorist attack and what future generations can do to prevent similar attacks from happening again.
“If new generations fail to grasp the meaning of 22 July, our ability to counter such threats going forward will also be weakened. Knowledge is our most important protection against hatred, extremism and attacks on democracy,” says Minister of Education Kari Nessa Nordtun.
Commemoration and resistance
Faldbakken’s memorial is being produced by KORO in conjunction with Statsbygg. The mosaic workshop is the last step in the development of the memorial prior to its inauguration this summer in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attack of 2011.
“For KORO it has been important to organise a process that is open and inclusive for the survivors and others affected by the attack. It is deeply gratifying for us, together with the 22 July Centre and the artist, to be able to invite survivors, the bereaved and others to participate in a decisive way in the completion of this memorial,” says KORO’s director Karianne Kampevold Sætre.
The board of the National Support Group after 22 July has followed the development of the memorial closely. Merete Stamneshagen, the chair of the group, believes it will be an important place for everyone touched by the attack.
“We are determined that the memorial, together with the 22 July Centre, will make a contribution to our collective resilience against anti-democratic forces and terror. The fact that young people and other affected groups are invited to participate in laying the mosaic adds an extra and highly significant dimension to the work,” says Stamneshagen.
Do you wish to participate?
Members of the public who wish to contribute to the work of laying the mosaic are invited to do so on the open Saturdays of 25 April and 2 May. Participation can be booked on the 22 July Centre website. A limited number of places are available.
The mosaic workshop is open Thursday to Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm for visitors who wish to see the ongoing work on the mosaic. Here you can observe the craftspeople, materials and process up close.
Changes to the programme may occur and press wishing to cover the mosaic workshop are invited to contact
André Gali at ag@koro.no/ tel. +47 97591704
Christian Janicki-Berg at christian.janicki-berg@22julisenteret.no/ tel. +47 47344510
Facts:
• The last 7,000 stones for the mosaic in the new memorial to the victims of 22 July will be laid by groups directly affected by the attack in collaboration with the artist Matias Faldbakken and professional craftspeople from Italy.
• The work will take place in a temporary mosaic workshop inside a tent on Johan Nygaardsvolds plass in the Government Quarter, Oslo, at the future site of the memorial.
• The period for this work is 21 April to 9 May.
• On selected days during the period, the mosaic workshop will be open to the public, who are invited to come and see the mosaic being laid.
• On the Saturdays of 25 April and 2 May, the 22 July Centre and KORO is organising a programme for the general public. Here, members of the public will be able to participate in the laying of the mosaic. Attendance and participation are free, but registration is required due to limited capacity.
• After 9 May, Fantini Mosaici will install the mosaic image in the steel rig.
• The memorial will be completed by the summer.
• The client is the Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance (DFD).
• KORO (Public Art Norway) has been commissioned to produce the memorial site together with Statsbygg.
• Planned and implemented by the 22 July Centre in collaboration with KORO and Matias Faldbakken, the mosaic workshop is part of the centre’s commemorative and learning work.
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