‘Oslo's Emerging Cityscape’, a new exhibition at London’s Oxo Tower Wharf, will present the award-winning Oslo Opera House and the urban regeneration scheme of Oslo’s seafront where numerous British and international firms are now competing to design the new Munch Museum and other buildings.
Rising from the sea in the centre of Oslo, the new, marble-clad Opera is a futuristic architectural gem and was awarded Cultural Building of 2008 at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in October. Notable British architect and a jury member, Sir Peter Cook, said the building in its scale, ambition and quality had raised the bar for Norwegian architecture.
The Opera, completed in April 2008, was designed by the Norwegian architect firm Snøhetta, which also designed the library in Alexandria, Egypt, and the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin. With its marble-clad surface and enormous glass façade sporting solar panels, the Opera is reminiscent of an iceberg rising from the sea. It is the largest cultural building project to be carried out in Norway in recent history, and it took five years to complete this extraordinary marble edifice at the edge of the fjord in Bjørvika, Oslo.
The entire area of Bjørvika is now being redeveloped with the aim to open the waterfront areas to the city, and to give the citizens of Oslo and visitors access to some of the very best spots in the Norwegian capital. There will be several parks, squares, cafes and cultural institutions for people to meet along the seaside and lively downtown and recreational areas along the fjord.
Next to the Opera House, there are also plans for a brand new Munch Museum, Stenersen Museum and Deichman Public Library. The aim is to inaugurate the museums and the library for the celebration of the bicentenary of the Norwegian constitution in 2014. Several British architecture firms have been invited to take part in the competition to design these new landmark buildings, including Zaha Hadid Architects, Tony Fretton Architects and David Chipperfield Architects. A decision will be made next year.
At the exhibition, visitors can also discover the hidden beauty and magic of Oslo through the lens of young photographer Ole Marius Jørgensen. His images of Oslo’s less photographed areas and buildings are large and dramatic, sometimes even with a dark undertone. Jørgensen was educated at Southampton Institute and at The Norwegian Photo School. He has been working as an artist and freelance photographer in Oslo since 2004.
‘Oslo's Emerging Cityscape’ will also feature the music 'Marble Surplus' by Gisle Kverndokk, which was composed especially for the opening of the Opera House and based on the sounds that the marble makes. The composition was recorded with the four musicians Rune Martinsen, Laila Sjørbotten, Jonas Blomqvist and Pål Bugge performing on La Facciata marble, with sound design and production by Cato Langnes and Asbjørn Blokkum Flø from NOTAM.
The exhibition is organised by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the City of Oslo and Visit Oslo.
Open 3 - 7 December, 11am - 6pm.
Admission free
Bargehouse,
Oxo Tower Wharf
Bargehouse Street,
South Bank, London SE1 9PH
For a map, click here.
The new Opera house in Oslo opened in April this year. Photo: Jiri Havran
The decor of the foyer is kept in a minimalist style, using materials such as stone, concrete, glass and wood. Photo: Jaro Hollan/ Statsbygg
Hanging from the ceiling is Norway’s biggest chandelier. It is 7 metres in diameter, weighs 8 tonnes and has more than 8000 light-emitting diodes and 5800 crystal glass elements. It was designed by Snøhetta and produced by Hadeland Glassworks. Photo: Trond Isaksen/ Statsbygg
Ole Marius Jørgensen photographs the the hidden beauty and magic of Oslo. Photo: Ole Marius Jørgensen
Photo: Ole Marius Jørgensen