‘Kilden’ is the name of the new theatre and concert hall currently being built in the idyllic Southern Norwegian coastal city of Kristiansand. A highly symbolic building, the decoration of Kilden’s surroundings was carefully chosen through a contest that attracted over 80 contributions from various artists. One of two contributions chosen is the sculpture ‘Javel’, designed by Arne Revheim and Finn Eirik Modahl. For them, designing the sculpture was just the first step. Next came the question of constructing the sculpture to look the way they perceived it. The answer to their question turned out to be China.
A careful approach
While the manufacturing of foreign products in Southern China is nothing new, outsourcing the construction of works of art is perhaps a less known business venture. This was also the case for Revheim and Modahl, who had no prior experience of making art in China. “When the idea of constructing the sculpture in China came around, we started doing research online. We found around 40 companies. From these 40 we narrowed it down to ten, and from the ten companies we selected, we chose to visit three companies that seemed the most professional” says sculptor Finn Eirik Modahl. “We even asked these three companies to make a miniature of our sculpture so we could observe how they conduct their business and construct works of art”, Modahl adds.
Hands-on and handmade
Cost-effectiveness was not the only benefit Revheim and Modahl found in choosing a Chinese sculpture maker. Both artists emphasize the Chinese craftsmanship as quite extraordinary, and even though the sculpture’s size and glittering finish poses a challenge, it is 100 percent handmade. Choosing a hands-on approach, with frequent visits to Guangzhou to follow-up the construction process, was an important prerequisite. The decision to follow this strategy led to a good working atmosphere and cooperation between everyone involved, which both sculptors feel were critical to the successful outcome.
A model of how the sculpture will look after completion.A versatile piece of art
When looked at directly, the sculpture reads the Norwegian word “javel”, a word chosen because of its different meanings depending on the context, especially in Southern parts of Norway where the sculpture will be located. The word carries a positive connotation, but to translate it proves a challenge seeing it can mean everything from “alright” to “what’s up” in English. In Chinese "hao de/好的" or "shenme shir/什么事儿" might touch upon the true sense of the word most closely. The Norwegian sculpture will be shipped to Norway within shortly and is set to be unveiled later this autumn. Except for being a piece of art, ‘Javel’ could well become a symbol of a new kind of Sino-Norwegian business venture.
Read more about the art of Arne Revheim and Finn Eirik Modahl.