Ship of the Heart (OSSAlt1300-2023)
Gamlebyen, Oslo. 05-08.12.2023.
Ship of the Heart OSSAlT1300–2023, is installed at the Medieval Park in Oslo. This immersive artwork, positioned in close proximity to archaeological excavations and overlooking the dynamic cityscape along the innermost shore of the Oslo-fjord, promises to challenge perceptions of cultural memory, space, time, and human-technological-material relations.
Rising from the ground up—melding soil, fossil- and artificial materials—the sculptures communicate the sleek hyper aesthetic of the contemporary, mirroring the inevitable evolution of the nearby expanding city. At the same time, the work is based on studies of artefacts from the Museum of Cultural History and textual sources from the Middle Ages.
Ship of the Heart OSSAlT1300–2023, becomes a part of an absolute contingency, connecting the artist, her research, collaborators, partakers, objects, and the situatedness through the hidden structures of human consciousness. In her PhD research Vinje names this phenomenon an “enactive assemblage” – inviting visitors to contemplate and embrace thoughtfulness through art, fostering a form of thinking, where cultural memory may be a catalyst for change. The artwork may act as a contact surface, inviting visitors to engage beyond the physical objects, becoming an integral part of the historical narrative, intertwining with the site's past and present.