Stavanger
Stavanger is undergoing rapid change as the process of gentrification takes hold. Increased levels of construction and traffic have become issues that concern many residents. Stavangers position as open port capital of culture 2008 helps drive this process of change.
Relatively speaking the city is prosperous - thriving on the oil wealth discovered in the North Sea during the 1970’s. In that same decade a road bridge (Bybrua) was designed and constructed. This enormous structure is both elegant and impressive in the modern ‘brutalist’ tradition.
Despite increased prosperity and modernisation, the small area beneath Bybrua, on the city side (literally where the bridge meets the ground) feels physically dark and psychologically forgotten.
The pen of the master planner seems to have stumbled at this point. The neighbourhood itself has a diverse and dynamic population but this particular crossroads space feels problematic. People pass through it quickly, with blinkers on.
For me this site is exciting and full of potential. It feels connected physically and symbolically to the issues of construction and traffic driven by the oil economy. Is it possible to use this site to open up dialogue surrounding sustainability, quality of life, human ecology, community?
Commuter
Life under the bridge
To install an LED lighting system beneath the bridge to change the way people use and perceive the underpass space. The aim is to make that space feel more welcoming - to become more of a meeting place and less of a passing space.
The lighting system would be powered by a bank of batteries housed inside the bridge store area. These batteries would be fed by a pedal-powered generator that could be located beneath or on top of the bridge.
During daytime hours passing pedestrians and cyclists would be invited to contribute to the supply of available energy that could then be released after dark. This toll system would enable people to understand the link between supply and demand. They would be contributing their energy to changing that space.
The effort to maintain power to the lighting system would be of equal importance to the functioning lighting system itself. The bicycle generator would become a signpost for the lighting scheme, thereby promoting renewable technology and social interaction.
One of the conditions of installing the work is that no screws, nails of other damaging fixings are used on the concrete structure of the bridge. This will be overcome by re-using the pre-existing holes formed by moulds during construction of the bridge. These will become positioning points for cables and lights.
The aim of the project is to generate discussion and encourage physical interaction that has the potential to shift perceptions of space and place. Illumination is a likely by-product of that process.
