{"id":3496,"date":"2025-03-12T18:49:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T17:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/public-commisions\/akantus-gvarv-school\/"},"modified":"2025-03-12T18:49:25","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T17:49:25","slug":"akantus-gvarv-school","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/public-commisions\/akantus-gvarv-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Akantus, Gvarv school"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Akantus<\/h3>\n

Permanent Art Installation at Gvarv School, 2022, In collaboration with Vigdis Fjellheim<\/p>\n

Painted, laser-cut MDF collage<\/p>\n

Photo: Vigdis Fjellheim, Zoe Eskes, Torunn Skjelland<\/em><\/p>\n\n \n

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Acanthus <\/em>is a permanent installation made up of a collage of painted, laser-cut MDF shapes, mounted on the long corridor walls across both floors of the school building. The work traces a gentle wave-like motion that begins on the first floor, home to grades 5\u20137, and ascends toward the second floor, where grades 8\u201310 are located \u2013 visually echoing the developmental journey of the students. <\/p>\n

Thematically, the artwork explores growth and transformation \u2013 in both nature and the human experience. Drawing on Gvarv’s identity as a fruit-growing region and the symbolic blossoming of adolescence, the visual language centers on things that sprout, unfold, and evolve. The central inspiration is the acanthus plant (Acanthus mollis<\/em>), known for its deeply lobed leaves and long-standing presence in decorative arts. <\/p>\n

Historically, the acanthus has appeared in art and architecture from Antiquity to the Baroque, in Islamic ornamentation, and in Norwegian folk art. It features prominently in rosemaling (where it\u2019s called krullskurd or \u201cFrench leaf\u201d) and in the embroidery of traditional Norwegian bunads. In this work, it functions as a symbol of continuity across time and cultures. <\/p>\n

The composition plays with scale, form, and reference. Symbols from local subcultures\u2014such as car culture motifs\u2014blend with digital icons like the Twitter bird and PacMan figures. These are layered with arabesque patterns, textile fragments, botanical diagrams, and metamorphosis illustrations. The result is a rich, associative tapestry that reflects the diversity and imaginative potential of the school\u2019s multicultural community. <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3347,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3496","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3496\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.torunnskjelland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}