14–7–2006 (2016)
Resting on a small hill in Nesparken, Moss, is the sculpture 14–7–2006 by Kirsten Ortwed. The date in its title refers to an event that took place in the summer of 2006 and that invites us to reflect on something greater than ourselves.THE SCULPTURE
The sculpture is located on a small hill in Nesparken and is clearly visible to everyone entering the park. Its aluminium surface, which reflects the sunlight no matter where it hits, makes it almost impossible to miss. Its undulating, abstract shape is hard to define. This ambiguity is captivating, and its reflexive character beckons us to look closer. Located on top of the sculpture is a bronze cast object resembling a meteorite, a clear reference to the event that occurred on 14 July 2006.
Spatiality always plays an important role in sculpture, but for 14–7–2006, the space has a double meaning. Not only is the sculpture an idea that has been given three-dimensional form, but it is also a visualisation of what is out there, in space.
– It's crazy to imagine everything that goes on in outer space. Gases, metals, particles slam together and turn into new matter. And then outer space lands here, in Moss! For me that’s very interesting. It's about a kind of creation, when nothing turns into something, and how the notion of outer space can expand our consciousness.
KIRSTEN ORTWED (b. 1948)
The Danish artist Kirsten Ortwed lives and works in Cologne, Germany. She has consistently worked with complex topics such as time and space in monumental and striking sculptures.
Her work has been shown in many solo exhibitions worldwide. She represented Denmark at the Venice Biennale in 1997, and was awarded the Thorvaldsen Medal in 2002.
Kirsten Ortwed
Photo: André Løyning
Kirsten Ortwed talks about 14-7-2006
THE PLACE
Idyllically located along the Oslo fjord in Viken county, Moss is known for the distinctive smell that once came from a local cellulose factory, as well as and for the Convention of Moss of 1814. It is also famous for the shower of meteorites that hit the town on 14 July 2006. Ortwed was inspired by this event, and her sculpture is located close to where the meteorites fell.
– It was important to select a place where the sculpture could capture the light, and thus the viewer’s gaze, in the best possible way: on a small hill, in an open place so that we always have space around us.
Skulpturstopp is a gift from Sparebankstiftelsen DNB to Norwegian municipalities.
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