Unveiled 2013

“Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill”
by Fredrik Raddum

Sculpture, teddy bear, bronze.

Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill by Fredrik Raddum has claimed his victim. Photo: Knut Arne Breibrenna.

Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill

Teddy – Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill sits there like a mascot and greets the audience, the great and happy Teddy bear, which almost seems to be welcoming visitors onto his lap. Seemingly nice and fun, but there is a reverse side!

If you walk around the three-meter high teddy bear, you can see that its complacent attitude has claimed a victim. Teddy has just sat down here in the park, without looking around. A pair of naked human legs lies crushed and suffocated under the bear’s enormous weight. Suddenly, it is not so friendly anymore.

The sculpture’s title, Teddy – Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill, reveals that it has not been Fredrik Raddum’s intention to solely present a cozy teddy bear. The world is filled with teddy bears in varied sizes and designs. A mass-produced object which we almost automatically buy at the airport’s tax-free shop or the gas station and take home with us. They’re meant as cozy gifts for our children, who already have a nursery filled with them.

Thus, the teddy bears end up almost smothering children. Therefore, the giant teddy bear can be seen as a symbol of modern mankind’s exaggerated consumption and how the mass-produced objects are increasing in size. They suffocate us and all of humanity. Constantly, we wish to acquire new things and new teddy bears, in the belief that they will bring us happiness. However, in reality, we’re well on our way to using up the earth’s finite resources and thus annihilating ourselves.

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Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill by Fredrik Raddum has claimed his victim. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.

17 Teddy

Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill by Fredrik Raddum has claimed his victim. Photo: Knut Arne Breibrenna.

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Detail of the sculpture Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill by Fredrik Raddum. Here during winter season. Photo: Ian Brodie, Visit Innlandet.