Strøm­men

Description

The relation of narratives and myths to people and places is at the core of Oskar Koliander’s practice. Oskar Koliander has created a light artwork in combination with sculpture for Rebekkagang. The work is based on the floods that, throughout history, have affected the bottom part of the passage by Madevej and on both the Biblical Rebecca and a local woman, after whom the passage is named.

The work was titled Strømmen (The Current) partly because its shape is reminiscent of a watercourse, partly as a reference to the electricity flowing through the sculpture. Moreover, the title refers to Rebekkagang, one of the busiest passages in the Nørreport district with local people and visitors streaming through on a daily basis. The sculpture links the pedestrian street to the area near Skrænten/Madevej, illuminating the passage. When pedestrians walk beneath Strømmen, the water undulates above their heads – in the daytime, shiny like a mackerel and, at night, a flowing watercourse with shades of luminous blue derived from bands of animated LED lights.

The name Rebekkagang (Rebekka’s Passage) may derive from the biblical Rebecca, who went to the well to fetch water, or a local woman, who made countless journeys through Rebekkagang towards the fjord. Common to both was their movement to and from water. Moreover, it is hoped that Strømmen will amplify the link between central Aabenraa and the harbour area by the fjord.

Blacksmith: Hesselaa Smedje
LED: Theaterpixels

About the decorative project

Nørreportkvarteret som kunstdestination – værker af unge danske samtidskunstnere (the Nørrebro District as Art Destination – works by young Danish contemporary artists) is developed by Aabenraa Municipality in collaboration with Creator Projects, community ambassadors and the Aabenraa Municipal Visual Arts Committee. The project is backed financially by: the Danish Arts Foundation, Den Jyske Kunstfond, BHJ Fonden, and the Aabenraa Municipal Visual Arts Committee.

The full list of artists who have contributed to the project comprises Rune Bosse, Silas Inoue, Oskar Koliander, Mathias & Mathias, Helene Nymann, Torben Ribe, and Studio ThinkingHand. The works are the property of Aabenraa Municipality.