Ocean Rise, 2023-24
Commissioned by: Oslo City Art Collection
Curated by: Helga-Marie Nordby
Soundscape: Mowgli TV in collaboration with local children
Materials: Oceanize recycled marine-plastic panels produced by Wecycle, stainless-steel structure and soundscape accessed via QR code
Dimensions: 2.3 × 4.2 × 0.8 m
Ocean Rise is a public sculpture commissioned by Oslo City Art Collection for Tøyen Park, Oslo. Its sweeping geometric form evokes a rising wave, connecting the urban landscape with the nearby fjord and inviting reflection on rising sea levels and the effects of climate change on future generations.
The sculpture is accompanied by a soundscape created by Mowgli TV in collaboration with local children. During a workshop led by Aphra Shemza and Mowgli TV at the Norwegian Sculptors Society, participants made recycled-plastic jellyfish and an illuminated underwater diorama while sharing their thoughts about climate change and their hopes for the future. Their voices were combined with field recordings of the Oslo fjord and surrounding natural environment, alongside sounds created using a modular synthesizer. Visitors can access the finished soundscape through a QR code at the sculpture.
The work’s colourful panels were produced locally by the Oslo-based non-profit Wecycle using recycled marine plastic supplied by Oceanize. Developed with local organisations, fabricators and young participants, Ocean Rise brings sculpture, sound and public participation together to create an artwork shaped by its location and community.
With special thanks to: Helga-Marie Nordby, Marianne Hall, Rob Searle-Barnes, Norsk Billedhoggerforening, Grundfeldt AS, Hans-Eliam Raknerud, and workshop participants Ava Weider-Hagemann, Hugo Nilsen Zamecznik, Leo Darrough, Liv Darrough, Mari Nordby-Willberg, Olav Garbias Paasloe and Rikoll N. Øvrelid, together with their parents.