Ottar
The sculpture comments with a humorous glance on how many activity areas today are filled with equipment that should be suitable for everyone; parkour stands and play stands, where children should be able to cycle safely, the elderly should be able to walk slowly, and the dog should also be able to run freely – a kind of “common space” for all recreation.
The art project OTTAR is a sculptural installation consisting of a dog balancing on top of a stand, with several other surrounding overturned stand-like shapes – perhaps the dog has just had enough after getting lost among all the generic toy stands?
For Otta primary school I have chosen a black Great Dane, – an absurdly large, slightly scary, but most of all a loving and playful family dog. And in general a not very ordinary dog. The students at the primary school were invited to name the dog, and they decided on the name Ottar, – hence the title of the artwork.
During the process, I was told that two black Great Danes previously lived on Otta, one named Zappa, the other named Odd. Ottar may be the reincarnation of both of them – and he is certainly happy with the result, where he stands on the edge of a crooked, crashed playpen.
