"The Library " at The National Museum - Architecture is part of Oslo Architecture Triennale

"The Library"  explore how libraries can play a central role in breaking free from the growth paradigm. From 26th September to 24th November, The National Museum – Architecture will undergo a complete transformation from a gallery of architecture past and present, to a library of architectural futures. 

"The Library" is organised into four collections: the subjective, the objective, the systemic and the collective. Each of the four collections will be richly populated with drawings, models, materials, artefacts, devices, and ideas exploring the architecture of a Degrowth economy to be critiqued, measured, studied and enjoyed.

The Subjective Collection
I am a subject. I am a constellation of thoughts, memories and perceptions. I am affected. I affect. I stand alone. I am the unseen hand, the consumer, the voter. I am the centre of the universe. I am a drop in the ocean. I get scared. I get angry. I love. I ask, how do I care and cultivate? How do I change? How do I relate? How do I perform? How do I succeed, or fail? How do I play? Can I play?

The Objective Collection
It is an object. It is bold. It is elastic. It is durable and fluffy. It is soft, tough and warm. It dirties. It cleans. It is empirical, logical and ingenuous. It has a mass, texture, compressive strength and carbon footprint. It disintegrates. It sticks together. It is maintained or neglected. It can be seen, touched and studied. It builds new forms. It supports systems, old and new. It nourishes ecology and expresses imagination. How does it perform? How does it sound? How does it help? Is it alive?

The Systemic Collection
These are systems. These are networks. These are environments — natural and built. These are technologies, economies and governments. These are the connections between things; infrastructures that order, orchestrate and incentivise. These are cities. These are the means of control, resistance, production and liberation. These propose new strategies, structures and economies. They question norms. They ask if new systems could refashion a built environment that incentivises social and environmental justice?

The Collective Collection
We are collective. We share. We exchange. We depend. We have things in common. We communicate and connect. We argue. We are greater than the sum of our parts. We are a family, a group, a tribe, a people. We are a tapestry of meanings, languages, relationships, values, and cultures. We create spaces for living together, for promoting social bonds, for sharing food, goods, ideas and company. We perform cultural rituals. How do we collaborate? How do we build common and democratic systems? Can we empower each other?

Press contact at The National Museum: Elise Lund, elise.lund@nasjonalmuseet.no, +47 99 32 19 42

Press photo: https://bit.ly/2lARH2s

Press contact for Oslo Architecture Triennale Eva Engeset, Communications Manager, eva@oslotriennale.no / +47 46 95 01 02.