Art - The City

Artist: Håkon Bleken (1975).
Entering the bank building from Søndre gate, we come across this decoration, which was made for the opening of the new bank on the site of the earlier Nordenfjeldske Kreditbank. In front of the glass wall, Bleken made a lattice with organically meandering designs. While the decoration blocks the view into the building, it allows light to enter. Public decoration that is part of the architecture often suffers the fate of going unnoticed by passers-by. We should act like tourists, stop and really look at and enjoy this decoration as a work of art. The material used is small pieces of iron. The surface has been treated with hydrochloric acid and lanolin. It becomes some kind of organic abstraction of ribbons that interweave and form irregular apertures, causing us to associate it with the effects of light in nature. The decoration may also resemble an old town map, thus reminding us that we are in the medieval town of Trondheim. Håkon Bleken has been very active in the art community in Trondheim. He is well known to most Norwegians as a painter, graphic and sketch artist, but only a few know that he has also created sculptures.
Loading...