As a token of her love for King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba sent a flying carpet of the finest quality green silk, embroidered with gold, silver and studded with precious stones. The length and width of the carpet was so great that the entire king’s army could fit on it.
Unfortunately, King Solomon was too busy building Jerusalem, so he neglected the unique gift. It hurt the queen, and she never again wanted to have more such carpets made.
The Stopover
The fantasy of being able to fly is strong in children; – to be able to be like a bird, sit on the broom handle, or rig yourself up on the carpet in the living room and be absolutely sure that if you think hard enough, you will be able to be lifted! For some, that fantasy never completely disappears as an adult either, and in our dreams we all fly!
There are many stories and fairy tales about flying carpets. And who knows, maybe the queen’s flying carpet has flown around and visited all the places in the world since King Solomon didn’t want it, and has now chosen Refstad school as a stopover?
This is how school is also in the children’s lives; a place of stopover, where they meet people from many places, hear other stories, get to know new smells and tastes, expand their knowledge and their curiosity, – their luggage is filled up for further journeys.
The art project Mellomlanding is a large sculptural carpet that can accommodate many adventures about a flying carpet, and at the same time be a metaphor for the temporary stop Refstad school is in the children’s lives.
The carpet has landed in a “frozen movement” which gives the impression that it may have come swinging in from the east, near the top of the amphitheater, between the buildings’ entrances, and with a good view over the falling landscape. Ready to take off for the onward journey.
The carpet is large enough to accommodate many children, but not all the school classes at the same time, as in the spirit of the Queen of Sheba.
TECHNICAL
The carpet sculpture is cast in concrete, with embedded lines, patterns and shapes in other colors and materials. Aggregates of, for example, fine stones, special glass and metal shapes can be added, which appear as fossils, treasures and points of curiosity in the sanded surface. The sculpture withstands both play and stay, is smooth and nice to sit on and lie down between the waves.
Link to a project description in Norwegian >>MELLOMLANDING og RYE