Speech by State Secretary Per Kristian Skulberg

Artscape Nordland

Newcastle 18. October 1999

Artscape Nordland is one of the most interesting art projects to be developed in Norway in recent years. This visonary, international art project was the brain-child of the Norwegian artist Anne Katrine Dolven, and she formulated the basic idea for the project more than ten years ago. The authorities of Nordland County, and its individual municipalities, have played a vital role in the development and implementation of this imaginative and, from the outset, unpredictable and controversial project. The Artscape Nordland-project has been a source of debate in the municipalities of Nordland County, and the media in Norway, especially the local media, have taken an active role in the debate, providing a forum for a lively exchange of opinions. A book about the Artscape Nordland-project has already been published. And another, and a more comprehensive book, will be published next year.

Norway is a country on the periphery of Europe. Nordland is a county on the periphery of Norway. And one of the core ideas of the project was to establish a centre for art located not in a central part of Norway, but on the periphery. The Artscape Nordland-project refutes the common belief that new ideas, new concepts and trends are born in the big cities where the major cultural institutions are usually located. In the Artscape Nordland-project we are witnessing a project of great international significance on the periphery of the periphery. The creativity evident in the Artscape Nordland project and the significance of the project in an international context forces us to redefine our conceptions of the balance between the centre and the periphery in the sphere of art. The Artscape Nordland-project has started an innovative trend that will no doubt be a great inspiration to other artists, as well as other countries.

Leading contemporary artists from many countries were invited to contribute to the Artscape Nordland-project. Although Artscape is locally organised, Artscape is international in form. Although created in a specifically North-Norwegian landscape, its artistic language is universal. Artscape is local and global. The Artscape Nordland-project is living proof that locally based art-projects can achieve great national and even international significance. The presentation of the Artscape Nordland-project here in Britain is an illustration the international relevance of this project.

In Norway, as in many other countries, there is a trend towards migration away from the rural areas to the more densely populated areas and the cities. Young people in particular tend to leave, moving to urban areas as soon as they have completed upper secondary school. Culture is essential to a fulfilling life, and the Norwegian Government gives high priority to supporting cultural activities in the outlaying regions precisely in order to counteract depopulation in these regions. The positive international response Artscape Nordland has evoked will undoubtedly inspire the Government to continue its policy of encouraging and supporting a wide variety of cultural activities in the various parts of the country.

The centre-periphery dimension is one interesting aspect of the Artscape Nordland-project. Another fascinating aspect is the artistic interplay between art and nature.

The very term “Artscape” leads you to reflect upon the relationship between art and nature. Traditionally we think about art as something different to and separate from nature. Nature is the part of the material world that exists without the interference of human beings. Art is invented. Artscape is invention in co-operation with nature. Artscape is a synthesis of the aesthetics of nature and the imagination of man.

Artscape is indeed dynamic art. The changing light in the various seasons creates new experiences every day throughout the year. Artscape Nordland is not a project of the past, but an ongoing project, that will live on in an unpredictable and exciting future. One of the ideas for the future of the project is to present the Artscape Nordland-project at EXPO 2000 next year.

The essence of art is its capacity to broaden our minds, and to stimulate our capacity to reflect upon life from a new viewpoint. Artscape embodies the essence of art.

Finally I want to say how proud we are to present the Artscape Nordland-project here in Newcastle, and I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed towards the realization of this visionary project.