Untuned Bell

On the tram the other day I noticed a long wooden poster-wall at Tullinløkka, a little square in Oslo. It was covered with lots of colorful posters, and I decided to walk back past it to see if I could get a cool photo for the blog. When I got there I quickly found out that the poster-wall is part of an art project by KORO (art in the public sphere) and the artist A K Dolven. You can read more about the project here
Quickly explained, Dolven has taken the 1,5 tonnes bell that once was removed from Oslo City Hall because it was out of tune with the other 48 bells, and installed in the air at Tullinløkka. If you step on the pedal on the ground underneath it, it will sound again. I have to admit, I neither stepped on the pedal nor tilt my head back to look at the bell, due to a bright shiny sun and a slight headache, but I took my time to study the poster-wall. Since Tullinløkka used to be a central meeting place in Olso, used for public gatherings and manifestations, the project of Untuned Bell wants to reclaim the area’s history. On the poster-wall people are given the chance to air their opinions and draw attention to matters they find imporant. As you can see, it is covered with children’s drawings and notes, political posters and exclamations, old news paper articles, even graffiti. ”Untuned Bell calls each individual to make a sound for the untuned, and to voice their opinion about the general attitude towards deviation from norms that exist in our world.” You have until the 31st of May! Read more about KORO on their web pages www.koro.no