Arjun Appadurai - The Thing Itself

In 2020, two concrete reliefs, Fiskerne and Måken, weighing in total over 250 tons, were moved 50 meters from the now demolished Y-block to a place they will rest for around ten years before they will be moved to their next resting place, the not yet built A-block. The move itself took 45 minutes. A temporary storage structure, not unlike the wooden crates used to store and transport valuable art objects, or the vitrines such objects are often exhibited in, was erected to protect The Fishermen and The Seagull during transit. Already during the application process a profound connection between the storage structures and the artwork they frame was created. The first e-mail registered in Saksinnsyn, sent by Architect Ole Tørklep from Nordic - office of architecture says the following: «Vedlagt oversendes søknad om tillatelse til tiltak for ‘Picassoboksene’» The Picasso Boxes

In this project, the boxes have become a prism through which I have looked at memory and monuments, and the cult which creates them. It has resulted in a series of entangled investigations which attempt to transform the structure into an independent monument through multiple mediations, in which this shop is a part.

The project can be further explored through the following formats: