The jury’s evaluations

KILDEN THEATRE AND CONCERTHALL FOR SØRLANDET
Invited competition: Artwork for the upper foyer.

1. Participants
The following artists were invited to the competition:
Josefine Lyche
Katarina Löfström
Vong Phaophanit / Claire Oboussier
Felice Varini
 
2. Jury
The jury, identical to the art committee, comprises of:
Per Hess, head of the jury and art consultant
Anne Aanerud, secretary of the jury and art consultant
Samuli Woolston, architect’s representative
Arild Strømsvåg, users’ representative
Toril Runden, builder’s representative
Dagny Anker Gevelt, builder’s representative

3. The jury’s evaluations and conclusions
Introduction
The jury has received all four entries for art projects for the second floor foyer. All entries have been accepted in full and submitted for the jury process. The evaluation has taken place according to the official KORO (Public Art Norway) guideline, the strategy laid out in the general plan for art in Kilden, as well as the criteria presented in the programme for this competition. This competition is part of a larger process of commissioning art for Kilden.
 
General evaluation of the received entries
The jury appreciates the intense work and interest obviously put into the entries. The jury is pleased with the results achieved by the artists. All entries are of high artistic quality. The wish of the art committee to have an international competition of high artistic quality, with a variety of concepts and techniques, has been well met by these entries. The entries also meet the jury’s wish for the work to relate to the future content of the building. This is part of the process for Kilden to become a stage for international cultural exchange in a wide spectrum of art forms.
 
Josefine Lyche:
A. Wall mounted sculptural piece; Platonic solids, the architecture of the universe.
B . Wall painting
Description
The flanks of the curving wall have full sanded down wall paintings, whilst the central part of the wall curving round the stairs is painted an even purple with five superimposed geometrical forms of metallic mirror acrylic.

Evaluation
The work plays with an unusual, rich and personal process of painting. The surface is
imaginative with almost surreal qualities, with a compelling shivering energy. There is room for great variation, reflected in an endless world of associations. The painting has musical dreamlike strength through being so abstract. It evokes a strong feeling of something behind or within the wall. This style of “painting” has a beautiful handcrafted, muscular quality. This could echo well with the wall elements of the concert hall. The innocent femininity of the chosen tones of colour, contrast strongly with the masculinity inherent in the architecture of Kilden. This work certainly answers well to the call for fantasy and energy in the foyer. Covering a hundred meters of wall with this painting could seem static at times. The paint–ing is however given additional tension by variation on a larger scale by the larger lazured elements, the geometrical forms superimposed onto the basic structure of the painting.
 
The strong purple surface gives the central stair lobby an exquisite feel. The five geometri–cal forms become a magical emblem hung on the wall, referring to a magical ephemeral world beyond the wall. Perhaps some will see, as the artist suggests, a representation of the universe and of being. The platonic solids create an interesting contrast, playing on repre–sentation with the three dimensional objects presented two dimensionally and placed on an obviously spatially exciting wall.
 
The two sections don’t seem to have much of a relation or interaction with each other, even if the reflections of the solids resemble the patterns on the flanking walls. Also some of the implicit references to esoteric thinking may come across as somewhat disturbing. The work doesn’t require changes in the overall architectural concept of the foyer, but may benefit from additional lighting.
 
Katarina Löfström: Sonic Scenery 
Description
The entry consists of two separate parts: A colourful wall painting on the entire surface of the undulating wall painted in matt paint using stencils. The painting shifts colour from a dark blue to a bright red, meeting its full vivid strength around the central stair. This wall is lit with LED lights gradually shifting colour. The other part of the entry is a three dimensional CNC milled mdf plate wall relief up on the third floor level of the foyer.

Evaluation
The work gives a rich feel to the room through using harmonious colour stripes slowly shifting in tone. The idea of creating a visualization based on the sounds from the halls to create an illusion of the landscape beyond the undulating wall is fascinating.
The ideas behind the work are closely linked with some of the thoughts behind the architecture, in particular the idea of the fourth wall of the stage being existent although invisible. This is reflected as the (sound) horizon onto the inner opaque wall. This idea also reflects the hope stated in the competition programme for a work reflecting the functions of the building. The colour scheme takes inspiration from the architects’ visions of the space, but transfers these colours into the painting, leaving the rest of the room a royal blue. The royal blue enhances the colouring of the mural in a distinct manner, but draws attention from the space of the room to the surface of the wall.
 
Although there is certain straightforward pleasure in meeting a massive painting of a sunset, the resulting painting, with its pulsating LED lighting, may give the impression of a set-design. The relief on the 3rd floor wall gives a three dimensional impression of sonar waves, giving an active and pleasing contrast to the surrounding flat walls.
 
Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier: Coronium
Description
A neon light installation hung from the ceiling of the foyer space. The installation forms a circle above the main stair and radiates from this in a variety of daylight tones of neon to en–compass the entire foyer. The lights pulsate in relation to live sounds from the five halls.
 
Evaluation
This is a fascinating project well presented. It binds together the entire foyer space with one simple but elegant gesture. In contrast with the sharp object nature of the lights, the pulsation of the neon tubes, having the slow rhythm of someone breathing, gives a dreamlike atmosphere to the space.
 
The neon light installation manages to be abstract, while giving room for an obvious interpretation: A source of life and spirituality (Sun, Kilden, Tutu). It also connects to the European tradition of grand chandeliers in theatre foyers.
 
The work has literal energy. It will pulsate with sounds deriving from the stages’ live activities. The pulsating light, using warm colours for the neon, should give a comforting calm feel to the atmosphere of the foyer as opposed to a harsh technical feel.

This project gives its full support to the architectural concept, necessitating only an adjustment of the lighting concept. It also adds a measure of direction, easing orientation. This concept doesn’t address the undulating wall as such, which would then require its own direction in further design stages.
 
Felice Varini: A travers les rouges circulaires excentriques”&”A travers les bleus elliptiques et excentriques.
Description
Red and blue circular forms overlaid onto a wholly white space. These forms become geometrically exact shapes seen from five specific viewpoints within the foyer space.

Evaluation
This project is truly spatially overwhelming. The forms will certainly create a bewildering sense of movement as one wanders through the space. It plays on the joy of finding and understanding. The tonally strong work becomes the absolute focus of the space, although the spectator is then placed in the optical centre of the work.
 
This magical placing can be seen as something made for the spectator alone, a truly personal experience, related to finding the answer to a riddle. The overall feel of the space becomes that of a gallery, a virginal white space. This whiteness, however, with all the installations on the walls and the ceiling in particular, may be comparable to the feel of an office space or public building.
 
The work thus takes all attention, turning the whitewashed space into a meaningless void. This doesn’t correspond well to the architectural idea of a soft intermediate space where the audience should be allowed to slow down, relax and prepare for the performance. This space offers no comfort; it relies on the intellect, less on feeling.
 
The project is in many respects an imposing and impressive work of art, but may also disassociate the foyer from its context.

Resolution
Based on the competition programme and the jury’s intention, we have selected two proposals with independent artistic values. These will give new layers of associations, interpretations and atmosphere to the foyer.
 
For realization the jury has selected Coronium by Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier, and section B Wall painting by Josefine Lyche.

The Jury stipulates the condition that the proposals may be realized within the technical and financial possibilities related to the builders plan for the upper foyer. Before the commission starts, there should be a research and detailed planning phase.