Unveiled 2016

“Path of Silence”
by Jeppe Hein

Water sculpture shaped like a maze.

Path of Silence by Jeppe Hein is a favorite of many - including the children, who use it as a fountain in it in the summer. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

Path of Silence

  • Unveiled 2016
  • Materials 460 high-polish-mirror triangular steles, stainless steel, fountain system with nine centrifugal pumps, mosaic rock flooring made from Norwegian slate, boulders from the Kistefos estate, maple tree, wooden bench and various local plants
  • Dimensions 450 × 3300 × 2500 cm; diameter of water pavilion: 1160 cm
  • Artist Jeppe Hein
  • Where Show on map

Jeppe Hein’s art puts man in the center. His artistic expression is at the intersection between conceptual art, architecture and technology. Nevertheless, it is the encounter between man and art, or man in the encounter with himself, which occupies Hein the most.

The water and energy from the power station at Kistefos was a major source of inspiration and the starting point for the sculpture. It is the energy Hein himself experienced in the encounter with Kistefos that he wants to convey to the audience. While the project was still in the melting pot, Hein conducted a pilgrimage on the St. Olav’s routes between Oslo and Trondheim. Hein’s meeting with the nature and serenity of the journey represents a turning point in his practice. Silence has long been an important part of Hein’s artistic practice. However, the importance and understanding of silence were given a renewed and stronger prominence on this journey.

The sculpture’s shape is based on the movement of water and creates a variety of rooms with different dimensions of silence; deafening silence where the water comes to free expression in the fountain, but also space for contemplation and concentration. A traditional maze disillusions and weakens the sense of direction and location. This labyrinth’s open form awakens the senses, increases our presence and makes us aware of our surroundings. Where are we and where are we headed? These are questions that occupy the artist.

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Path of Silence by Jeppe Hein in front of the old pulp mill. Photo: Knut Arne Breibrenna.

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Detail from Path of Silence, viewed from above. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

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Detail from Path of Silence. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.