Art at Ila School

Artists: Torhild Aukan: ‘Underveis’ og ‘Veivalg’; Jan Eirik Evjen: ‘Et pust i sivet’; Håkon Gullvåg: ‘Skoene’; He Marli: ‘Jujuv’; Merete Morgenstierne: ‘Vindu 1, 2, 3 og 4’ 2005. Art consultants: Yngve Lintoft & Annika Borg.

Jan Eirik Evjen’s tall, slim sculpture in the playground of Ila School functions as a sundial, consisting of two stretching elements. However, it is not only the rhythms of the sun and the day that are indicated on the ground: once each year, at the summer solstice, the shadow edge aligns with an exact spot that the artist has marked on the tarmac. The sculpture alludes to ancient cultures, religious concepts and spatial movements, and offers the school ample educational opportunities. Raising one’s eyes towards the sky is one of the traditions at Ila School, where the tower of the main building was built and furnished as an astronomical observatory.

School history and tradition are also the themes of Håkon Gullvåg’s contribution to the public art project. On one flight of stairs he has mounted a series of paintings depicting old shoes, inspired by a shoe collection that was owned by the school and was formerly used to provide shoes to poor children whose families could not provide them with sufficient footwear.

On two of the three staircases, Merete Morgenstierne has placed a number of small sculptures in four wall niches, whilst the third staircase has a series of photo-based pictures, provided by Torhild Aukan. The fifth artist in this extensive contribution to public art is He Marli, whose poetic pictures appear in the library, placed low on the wall, and offer the viewer associations with dreams and imagination.