(Norsk prosjektside)
The National 22 July Memorial in the Government Quarter was designed by the Norwegian artist Matias Faldbakken (b. 1973).
The memorial, titled Upholding, stands in the plaza vis-á-vis the iconic 1958 Highrise Building (H-Block) in the Government Quarter, as a monument framing the memorial site located between the H-Block’s Western Pavilion and the entrance pavilion to the new 22 July Centre.
Monumental and caring
The sculpture is based on re-erecting the large steel rig that was built to hold and relocate Pablo Picasso’s artwork The Fishermen from the demolished Y-Block to the new A-Block, a result of the quarter’s comprehensive reconfiguration in the aftermath of the bombing.
In Faldbakken’s version, the rig is filled with a monumental mosaic comprised of around 300,000 stone pieces. The mosaic’s imagery, taken from the island of Utøya, depicts a small wader bird (the common greenshank) and some reeds and twigs reflected in the waters of the surrounding Tyrifjord.
The names and ages of the 77 victims are inscribed on the base beam facing the square. The other side of the structure shows the pattern of the bracing frame, a geometric relief painted in deep blue, deep green, and vivid red. The colour scheme highlights the distinctive structure that supports the mosaic.
The rig and the mosaic act as a link between the two scenes of the terrorist attack, the Government Quarter and Utøya.
As part of the work on the national memorial, the artist initiated a collaborative process to finalize the mosaic image. Together with the 22 July Centre and KORO, Faldbakken invited survivors, the bereaved, teenagers and members of the public to lay stones in the memorial mosaic together with Faldbakken.
Over the span of three weeks around 2,000 people helped add the last 7,000 stones in a provisional workshop at the new memorial site. The final stone was laid by Merete Stamneshagen, chair of The National Support Group after July 22, whose daughter was killed at Utøya. The collaborative work marked the end of a long process that has involved many participants.
Along the western pavilion of the H-Block, a new bench made from conglomerate stone from Værlandet has been installed. Seated on the bench, you rest your back against the exterior wall of the remembrance room at the 22 July Centre. As you look towards the mosaic image, your gaze is also directed towards Utøya.
Read more about Upholding here
Background
The bombing in Oslo and the massacre on the island of Utøya on 22 July 2011 were the worst terrorist attacks in modern Norwegian history. Eight people were killed in the Government Quarter in central Oslo, and 69 were killed on Utøya, an island outside the capital that is the historic home of a summer camp organised by the Norwegian Labour Party’s youth wing (AUF). Most of the victims were young people. Many more were injured and subjected to life-threatening danger, both in the Government Quarter and on Utøya. The damage was enormous.
The attacks were politically motivated, carried out by a Norwegian right-wing extremist targeting democratic institutions, the Labour Party in particular, and politically involved youth. The terrorist’s atrocities lack precedent in Norwegian history.
In 2012, the government decided to establish two official memorials, one in connection with Utøya, the other in the Government Quarter in Oslo. The permanent memorial at Utøyakaia, the mainland berth for the ferry to Utøya, opened in the spring of 2022. A temporary memorial opened in the Government Quarter in 2018, which Upholding by Matias Faldbakken will replace.
Memorials and Society
In the process towards realizing the memorial, KORO has aimed at involving the public; KORO has organized open events and seminars, facilitating public discussions and critical discourse around the histories and possibilities for memorials today. The seminar series Memorials and Society: expectations, negotiations and artistic articulations has been a forum for professionals in the fields of public art and memory work to share knowledge with the public and the jury.
All events have been streamed and documented.
Contact Us!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact the project manager Mari Magnus at mm(at)koro.no.
