Kjetil Trædal Thorsen and Jorunn Sannes
22 JULY NATIONAL MEMORIAL SITE
Our proposal is for a site to remember the tragedy of the event as well as the hope, unity, and strength of those involved. It evokes the struggle between good and evil, two opposites that challenge us all.
The memorial site consists of two identically spherical shapes. One of them is turned upside down, forming a slanted, protective vault over the entrance to the 22 July Centre. The other is an open bowl facing the sky and an enclosed outdoor area for visitors, where seventy-seven of the seats, representing the number of victims, are sculpted and accentuated.
The opposites that the two forms create are linked together through an inverted movement, as in an infinity symbol.
– Kjetil Trædal Thorsen and Jorunn Sannes
Kjetil Trædal Thorsen and Jorunn Sannes
Kjetil T. Thorsen (born 1958, Haugesund) graduated as an architect from the Graz University of Technology. In 1989, he co-founded the multidisciplinary architectural firm Snøhetta, known for having designed some of the world’s most striking public and cultural buildings, including the new library in Alexandria, the Oslo Opera House, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion in New York.
From its very inception, Snøhetta has collaborated extensively with artists when designing its buildings. These artists include Jorunn Sannes (born 1960, Haugesund), who has a degree in textile art from the Norwegian School of Arts and Crafts in Oslo and in the visual arts from the Rufino Tamayo Institute in Mexico. Known for creating large-scale public art on various types of buildings, she has helped create the expression and content of the façade of the new library in Alexandria as well as the artistic design of Oslo Opera House’s roof.