Tone Emblemsvåg and Kate Pendry

In December 2011 Room for art's Christmas calendar 2011 was presented at the Central Station. Artists Tone Emblemsvåg and Kate Pendry was inspired by, among other things, stained glass windows and John F. Kennedy in their work 24: thinking.

The two artists wanted to give people an experience that stimulated their curiosity, gave room for contemplation and simultaneously said something about the time we live in. They focused on marking days and anniversaries we don´t traditionally associate with Christmas; such as the World Aids Day, Nobel Peace Price Ceremony and International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Playwright Kate Pendry wrote 24 texts for the Christmas calendar based on these international days. She presented a new text every day on the facade and in sound showers inside the Oslo S. Here she gave the audience an opportunity to reflect on our own time, along with Tone Emblemsvåg´s visual interpretation of the facade.

Tone Emblemsvåg´s artwork showed a round globe with a child's face consisting of various symbols. "We decided to use the innocent child as a symbol. Instead of a traditional glass painting with a religious madonna or Jesus, we chose the child's face to be our madonna in the artwork. It is she who conveys her thoughts on coexistence and global issues." says Emblemsvåg about her visual work, which also comes alive in the evening with various video projections on the facade.

"In our society, we get so many messages about what separates us humans; color, religion, cultural background, heritage, elite versus people, etc. But as John F. Kennedy said: " …our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal….". I find that very inspiring. We wanted to makea christmas calendar with global elements that unites us humans." says Kate Pendry.

Producer and project leader: Kulturbyrået Mesén                        

Client: Rom Eiendom AS                                                      

Print: Megaprint                                                                      

Mounting: Carle Lange, Frode Myhr and Montage              

Video screen on the facade: Deichmanske bibliotek og to-be-more        

Sound design: Harald Wingård og Kate Pendry, Produsert ved Studio Ultrasound, Oslo                                                  

Thanks to: Julian Rasmussen Podolski and Mai Lise Rasmussen