SOBAS

On August 29th and 30th 2008, the Bergen School of Architecture (BAS) held the exhibition Transformators. The exhibition was a part of program of the Aniversary Festival of the village of Stongfjord in the Municipality of Askvoll, on the norwegian west coast.

Stongfjord is placed in an exhuberant fjord and mountain landscape and has around 250 inhabitants. This village represents an important chapter of both the norwegian and the nordic history because the first aluminium factory of the nordic countries was established in this place one hundred years ago. The Festival aimed to conmemorate the history and culture of the village and it was an intensive weekend celebration for both locals and visitors with different exhibitions, feasts, local food fairs and concerts.

Why is BAS at Stongfjord?

Stongfjord goes today through a transition period. The remaining industrial infrastructure of the past needs to be reconsidered in a context where future development and growth is very dependant of several social, politic and economic antagonic factors. The Bergen School of Architecture (BAS) wishes to be part of this local discussion as it is also relevant for many other earlier industrial villages all throughout Europe. This matter represents an important contemporary challenge, also for architects and planers.

In collaboration with the municipal authorities of Askvoll and the inhabitants of the village, BAS has received a building from 1928 made in concrete. Earlier the building was used as an electricity transformator. A group of 13 master course students evaluated the conditions and new posibilities of this site and suggested how a potential reactivation of the building with a different use than its original could help Stongfjord to generate new dynamics and values. In these proposed possibilities, BAS is suggested to participate as one of the activity generators for the site.

The exhibition
 
Transformators showed seven different projects for Stongfjord and the old transformator building. The works were exhibited in the inside space of the actual building as an example of the potential laying in its reactivation. The works shown in this exhibition were produced as a part of the spring 2008´s master course Implicit Performance with the tutorial of architects Magnus Wåge (Norway/Spain), André Fontes (Portugal) and visual artist Ron Sluik (Netherlands).

The projects´s authors were: Siri Nicolaisen (Norway), Åse Flindall (Norway), Thuy Doung Thi Vu (Norway/Vietnam), Marc Bodarwe (Belgium), Anja Drozdik (Israel/Norway), Héctor Piña  Barrios (Venezuela/Norway), Kjersti Urne (Norge), Sindre Reime (Norway), Kristian Endresen (Norway), Naeem Saerle (South Africa/UK/Norway), Dan Paul Stavaru (Rumania/Norway), Ivo Barros (Portugal) and Fredrik Sund (Norway)