Oslo light art festival explores peace in fifth edition
Fjord Oslo is part of the EU-funded IMAGINE PEACE cultural project, with installations at sites including the Nobel Peace Center.
International artists are using light installations across Oslo to examine peace as Fjord Oslo holds its fifth edition. Works displayed on buildings and in public spaces address subjects including war, freedom, resilience and coexistence.
Organiser and light artist Anastasia Isachsen said Oslo’s connection to the Nobel Peace Prize gave the festival particular significance. She said the event aimed to encourage people to imagine peace both internationally and in their personal lives.
Croatian artist Marko Bolkovic said his team had asked people across six countries to sum up peace with a single word. Responses included references to parents and friendship, rather than solely to the absence of war.
Visitors also offered their interpretations. Norwegian visitor Ulrich Lauridsen said art could not itself end a war but could encourage more people to want conflicts to stop. For Kenyan visitor Faith Imani, peace meant freedom to live, move and coexist with others.
