Art in Aastahagen Kindergarten

Artist: Erlend Leirdal. Title: ‘Hai og hegre’ 2014. Art consultant: Grethe B. Fredriksen

In Aastahagen Kindergarten at Persaunet, Erlend Leirdal has come close to one of the basics of children’s creative play: the playhouse. Children have always built their own little houses from found and gathered materials, which they have put together with varying precision, but with large creative enthusiasm and zealousness. Some of this fundamental joy in working with wood has always been evident in Erlend Leirdal’s artistic objects and projects – including several earlier projects in his hometown of Trondheim. His “tree house” at Aastahagen is a refined version of this traditional, primitive build, but the simplicity is present in the thin wooden walls separating the indoors from the outdoors. And, in the tradition of decorating and adorning the good old tree house, the artist has crowned his work with figures carved in wood, a shark and a heron, which not only contribute to further refining the structure, but also help mark its identity as an artwork. Despite its simple layout and basic materials, the playhouse includes a fireplace and serves as a cosy shelter on cold days.