Art at Ranheim school

Artists: Oddvar Daren. Title: ‘Rødt tårn’ 2011 Lars Skjelbreia. Title: ‘Treportal’ 2012 Martine Linge. Title: ‘To tegn’ 2011 Kim Hiorthøy, Erlend Loe . Title: ‘Ranheims kosmologi/Ranheims encyklopedi/Tidskapsel’. Art consultants: Torhild Aukan, Markus Lantto

The new Ranheim Primary was built on a plot near the sea, where elevations in the natural terrain provide vast vistas of the fjord. Oddvar Daren, one of the veterans in Trondheim’s art circle, took advantage of this when he created his towering sculpture ‘Rødt tårn’ (“Red Tower”), which with its vertical design cuts a stark contrast to the horizontal lines of the landscape. The work consists of long, slender beams of ore-pine painted red and placed edgeways at different angles. Inside this jumble of diagonal lines, the artist has placed large, shiny silver coloured balls that give off mirror reflections of the red construction as well as the surroundings near and far, the sky and drifting clouds. Underneath the sculpture there are benches inviting the public to spend a moment in close proximity to the artwork. From here, it can be viewed in the context of the landscape that surrounds it, and perhaps even the thoughts of the beholder. This is a place to let the mind drift and daydream for a while.

Wood is a natural choice of material for an artwork in a place where timber and the Ranheim paper mill have played such an important part in local industry. Just like at the mill, Lars Skjelbreia destroys the rough log, but lets it keep its firmness, its strength and character in the sculpture ‘Treportal’ (“Wooden portal”). The log is now cut into thin slivers and hollowed out, but still in its original, long shape and with the irregular outline of the tree trunk. It is placed inside a protective rectangular box made from prepared wood, demonstrating a juxtaposition between the organic and the industrial. Its position in the schoolyard works well with the straight angles and architecture of the school building. Skjelbreia is one of the younger artists to join the established circle of artist at Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder. He studied at Iceland Academy of the Arts, Reykjavik (2003–06) and Trondheim Academy of Fine Art (2007–09). His artistic work has also been inspired by visits to the United States, and he has made his mark with a wide range of artistic styles, from film to sculpture.

A third sculptural piece at Ranheim Primary is ‘To tegn’ (“Two characters”) by Martine Linge. The 2 metres tall granite sculpture in two parts is sitting on top of a little hill in the school’s outdoor area. It is visible from afar, but invites people to look at it up close and interact with it. The stone has been sculpted into the letters ‘h’ and ‘æ’, making an obvious reading of it as the local interjection “hæ” (“huh”) (!), suggesting something surprising or unexpected, as well as signifying local identity and sense of belonging. The sculpture also offers a physical challenge, being perfectly suited for climbing on, before taking a rest on the top of it.

Indoors, Ranheim Primary houses a series of playful figures drawn by Kim Hiorthøy, accompanied by thought provoking texts by Erlend Loe. The figures are made from brushed aluminium cut-outs with foil-transferred drawings.  Hiorthøy studied at Trondheim Academy of Fine Art (1991–96), and has since been a prolific artist working across multiple disciplines, such as illustration, photography, writing and music. After periods of staying in Copenhagen, New York and Berlin, he has been based in Oslo. Erlend Loe has also been living in Oslo for many years, though he grew up in Trondheim. Books like “Tatt av kvinnen”, “Naiv. Super.”, “Doppler” and the series about the character named Kurt, all of which were illustrated by Kim Hiorthøy, have placed Loe as one of Norway’s most popular authors.