Text: Stefan Schröder

The art assignment for a public primary school in Verdal, Norway, consists of a wall relief in the auditory and two wall reliefs in the adjacent corridor area. All works have a collective title: Golden Moments (Gylne Øyeblikk). They are made using the same technique; painted and matt-lacquered poplar plywood is mounted partly on each other.

In the auditory room: Golden Moments – the main work:

The work shows parts of an oil rig in front of a blue sky, which gets darker upwards and lighter downwards. Twelve hammocks with long ropes are attached to the rig. Ladders connect some bunks. In the hammocks sit figures who are all a bit occupied with something. A dog and three groups of birds on a rope or sitting on a stone are also placed in the picture. Gylne Øyeblikk tells a fictional story inspired by the landscape along the Trondheimsfjord, especially the part that connects to Verdalsøra. I was fascinated by the contrast between the magnificent landscape and the high-tech activity at Aker. The mural tries to convey the contrast between nature and technology. All visual elements must be easy to read and address all user groups. One interpretation could be the vision of a time after oil, where a rig was used for entirely different purposes than it is today. As a permanent work, Gylne Øyeblikk will hopefully appear relevant in the longer future. In the corridor area:The same visual language was used in the hallway to cover two short and high walls, partly by using residual materials and cut-off from the main road. These two works were made in collaboration with fifth-grade school students. The students chose the theme for the two wall works during the workshop. One wall shows the sun with a thick beard and a pipe with square smoke; the other is a natural motif with a rock formation used as a navigation point when you are out sailing.