60°N 05°E (encased waterside), 2009–2012

A work of art in public space by Thorsten Goldberg for the city Bergen/NO

The city railway Bergen (Norwegian Bybanen i Bergen) is a rail-based urban transport in the Norwegian city Bergen. Supported by KORO (Public Art Norway), it has its own artistic program that promotes art projects in public space. 

To artistically enhance a meeting point for people of different backgrounds, in 2009 a competition for an public artwork was announced, at which over 100 artists participated.

Thorsten Goldberg`s percent for art project, awarded by a jury, was officially opened on the 15th of June 2012.

A rectangular, 416 m2 large, reflected polished stainless steel surface covers the rocky shore area of an inner city fjord together with a small island. It is aligned exactly with the coordinate system of the Earth and describes the area between 60°22’52.55″N / 60°22’51.8″N and 05°20’01.24″E / 05°20’02.32″E.

60°N 05°E (encased waterside) is a post- and reshaping of the landscape at the same time. Due to the pulse of light which illuminates the perforation of individual triangles, the technoid surface is overlaid with a soft wave motion and places the crystallin structure seemingly in motion: a silvery, on the landscape lying cloth that seems to float because of the slowly rising and falling light. The work combines different realities: on the one hand the large area reflects the sky and the surrounding area, capturing them on the surface. On the other hand, the original shore area of the fjord is removed from the eye of the observer.

more information about the artist
more projects by Thorsten Goldberg
www.goldberg-berlin.de