In Aeternum – the Ring

“In Aeternum” – the Ring.

On 1^st January 2012 the two municipalities of Mosvik and Inderøy were joined together. The new entity, which will still function as a municipality, wishes to emphasise culture and external cultural development as a foundation for future plans.

The project, “In Aeternum”, comprises two parts:- the first is a teaser of sorts; the light installation, “Light Dance”, on top of the bridge towers along with the performance of the sound composition, “Wedding Feast”, to celebrate the union between two municipalities.

The second part, a larger light and sound installation, “In Aeternum”, was approved by all relevant authorities and was expected to be completed in the autumn of 2013, but lacked the funding to be completed. Link to the illustrated (Norwegian) description below.

The Skarnsund Bridge can be seen as a symbol of communication, both between the landscape (the two former municipalities) it unites, and interplay between the components of the bridge (the towers and the cable construction). By associating the bridge towers with two protagonists in an imaginary dialogue, the cables can represent the multi-dimensional aspects of the dialogue, in the broadest sense: a dialogue between people; between two municipalities; between the inhabitants and the bureaucracy in the municipality; between various institutions and organisations within a community. The multidimensional can also read as ambiguity with a potential for richness and at the same time confusion in the dialogue.

The light project “In Aeternum – The Ring” uses the symbolism of union; the common desire for a single entity; visualised as a ring. One often encircles that which one wishes to protect, a ring around the middle of the bridge protects the vulnerable border between the two municipalities, keeping them together as one and not falling apart. It fences off the dialogue where it is most vulnerable. It creates a space way out on the middle of the bridge where one might feel like a tiny, exposed person.

A light installation that is a clear symbol of the union between the municipalities- a wedding ring, of sorts.

To move through the circle is experienced like passing through a hovering portal, where the road leads one safely to the other side.
A circle is a symbol of unity and eternity; a universal symbol used in all belief systems. It is a symbol used to confirm agreements and transactions.

In Aeternum – forever.
Sound Composition by Øyvind Brandtsegg
The sound project seeks to focus and refine the particular architectural and acoustic properties that the bridge has and simultaneously use these to manifest various symbolic perspectives in the bridge and work of art.

The cable construction of the bridge gives associations to a string instrument, like a large harp. Henceforth the cables will be called strings. The strings have a very low natural frequency, and since the string are so long (100 – 300 meters), one can observe the energy that moves the string as if in slow motion. One can see and feel the strings vibrate, but not hear it. Special microphones based on an accelerometer are used in the sound installation to capture these oscillations and convert them to audible sound. The instrument associations give the link that the bridge represents a poetic character that again forms a connection between the functional and the poetic elements.