fluidfrictions (2022) was a participatory research proposition created for the exhibition Betraktninger (Observations, Dialogues and Actions) hosted at ROM for Kunst og Arkitektur, Oslo in Autumn 2022. The project invited the public to explore ROMs watery neighbour , the Akerselva – an urban river that cuts through central Oslo, travelling from Maridalsvannet to the Oslofjord through what was once the industrial heart of the city. Through a series of speculative workshops, the project explored the river from multiple perspectives, seeking to uncover points of friction between the human and nonhuman elements that constitute this particular place.

Starting at waterlevel, workshop participants, guided by Lexie, drifted down the lower Akerselva in kayaks, ending their float at Sukkerbitten, where the river meets the ocean. Meandering on foot back to ROM alongside the river, the participants then engaged in a reflective process – thinking thought their own experience to uncover and ultimately map potential points of friction and tension in the river landscape.

Speculating on friction as a productive force that is experienced both by humans and nonhumans, the project aimed to find inclusive methods to approach expanded neighbourhood spaces in unconventional ways, considering both human and nonhuman elements as equal participants in the construction of place.

Photos:

Frank Holtschlag

Support:

ROM for Kunst og Arkitektur, Oslo

Mad Goats Kayaking