Former Power - New Life. A Meeting Between Industrial Memories and Modern Times.
Photographer Bård Løken has travelled from Melbu in the north to Sjølingstad in the south using his camera to study and interpret ten decommissioned industrial sites. He has given functional industrial equipment a new expression. The relationship between large and small has been distorted, and small mechanical lids and fittings have been blown up to acquire human-like features. Turbines, gear wheels and crank handles have been enhanced as geometric shapes. Rust, timber and metal have become colours and surfaces.
Kulturminner
The Fetsund Log Booms
The Fetsund Log Booms extend 2.5 km downstream along the River Glomma and were a key feature of the log driving industry in eastern Norway for 125 years. The site comprises houses, workshops, boats and log booms. Timber has been transported along the River Glomma for at least 500 years. The Fetsund Log Booms were built in 1861 following the growth in forestry-associated industries. During the record season in 1917 almost 15 million logs passed through the booms, guided by 300 log drivers. This seasonal work, which was often hereditary, constituted an important source of income for the area’s smallholders. The youngest boys were just 10–11 years old. The last drive took place in 1985. The booms were scheduled as a site of cultural heritage in 1985 and the logging museum opened the following year.
The Tyssedal power plant
The Tyssedal power plant opened in 1908 in the inner reaches of Sørfjord in Hardanger. The Tysso 1 power plant, which was built with the aid of Swedish capital and Norwegian engineering expertise, supplied electricity to two factories in Odda along cables which were 7 kilometres long. This ambitious, pioneering project took 12 years to complete and employed 500 men. One notable feature was a pipe trench which runs 730 metres down the steep mountainside. In just 20 years the tiny village of Tyssedal, with its population of 39 inhabitants, was transformed into an industrial town with almost 1,400 permanent residents. Production ceased in 1989. In the year 2000, Tysso 1 was scheduled as a site of cultural heritage and is now run by the Norwegian Museum of Hydropower & Industry.
Klevfos Cellulose & Paper Factory
Klevfos Cellulose & Paper Factory, founded in 1988, was Norway’s smallest cellulose factory, but the first to process paper from cellulose. Making paper from wood fibre demanded new technology. The factory was well-known locally for its distinctive smell. Klevfos and the neighbouring iron foundry formed the backbone of the Ådalsbruk industrial site, which comprised active clubs, shops, cafés, a local Labour Party branch, and a book collection. Workers were often recruited from the active local Crofter’s Service. After 20 years of operations the original wooden building burned down. It was replaced by a new brick building where operations continued until the factory was closed down in 1976. The Klevfos Industrial Museum opened in 1986.
Næs Ironworks
Næs Ironworks was established in 1665. This ironworks produced wrought iron, beautiful stoves, tools, quality steel and the like. There were many ironworks along the coast of south-eastern Norway. The Næs works had its own community of workers and their livestock, and included a school, a general store and a poor relief fund. Tvedestrand served as a port for the works, and charcoal was provided by local farmers. The young theologian Jacob Aall purchased Næs in 1799 and turned it into a model works. Work was hard and sometimes scorching hot. Wet sacking was the only protection available. The charcoal blast furnace was closed down in 1909. Steel production continued in the traditional manner until the works’ dam was swept away by a flood in 1959. The Næs Iron Works Museum opened in 1992.
Folldal Mines
Folldal Mines were built in 1906 in order to extract iron pyrites from a decommissioned copper works. Pyrites were in high demand in the fertiliser and paper industries. In record time, a young engineer, Worm Lund, developed a highly advanced and ambitious plant which included a power station, hoisting plant and a 35 km cableway running to Alvdal Station. Good quality accommodation and a school were built for the workers, but Lund was a hard taskmaster and the mines suffered from the longest strikes and greatest class differences in Norwegian history. The production was moved several times, but by the 1990s the deposits were empty. When the Hjerkinn Mine was closed down in 1993, a trust was set up to ensure conservation of the buildings and develop the museum at the Folldal Works.
The Salhus Knitwear Factory
The Salhus Knitwear Factory was established near Bergen in 1859 by a young entrepreneur from Slesvig. Knitted textiles were a product of the modern times, and Salhus was Norway’s first fully mechanised knitwear factory. Underwear, swimwear and socks bearing the Krone-Makko brand name were some of the products that were shipped out from the small fjord-side harbour. Salhus quickly grew to become a small commercial town, where the director’s residence had a prominent place. The owners exercised patriarchal authority over the small community, meting out equal measures of fear and care, and there were few labour conflicts. The factory withstood several crises, but by 1989 it had become unprofitable due to international competition. The Norwegian Knitting Industry Museum opened in 2001.
Kistefos Pulp Mill
Kistefos Pulp Mill opened at Jevnaker in 1890, when the wood processing industry was undergoing rapid developments. The mill’s founder, Anders Sveaas, realised that this was an ideal location for a new pulp mill due to the area’s large spruce forests, log driving opportunities, the power from the Kistefoss waterfall, and the new Randsfjord Railway. It was not long before 70 families were living at the isolated mill. Although their work was heavy and hazardous, the pay was better than elsewhere and their jobs were safe. There were no labour conflicts until the 1930s, when major clashes occurred between strike-breakers and the trade unions. In 1953 production was farmed out to Follum fabrikker. The Kistefos Museum opened in 1996
Sjølingstad Woollen Mill
Sjølingstad Woollen Mill was founded in 1894 by the Lutheran school teacher August Hoven. Hoven knew little about running a mill, but he succeeded in raising enough money to establish this small factory community in the uplands near Mandal. In 1893 the first girls arrived to join workers from the village in producing wool, rugs and textiles for the clothing industry. Hoven was a fatherly manager, and set up a local bank, a village shop, a post office, and a school. In its heyday the factory had 90 employees, around half of whom were women. The premises were pleasant enough, although the winters were cold, and the machinery was noisy. Operations were wound down in the 1960s due to fierce competition. The factory closed in 1986, but was reopened shortly afterwards as a museum factory.
Spillum Steam Sawmill & Planing Mill
Spillum Steam Sawmill and Planing Mill was established in Namsos in 1884, at a time when the forestry industry was undergoing rapid development. This profitable mill was set up by timber merchant Peter Torkilsen in collaboration with forest owners to produce timber and prefabricated buildings, such as fishermen’s sheds and schools. Work at this fairly typical medium-sized mill was highly specialised and jobs were often passed down from father to son. Torkilsen took good care of his 20-45 employees and built a library and swimming pool which utilised hot water from the steam engine. The mill was gradually modernised after 1939 and started using electricity in 1947. Operations ceased in 1986, but were subsequently resumed when the Norwegian Sawmill Museum opened in 1991.
Neptun Herring Oil Factory
Neptun Herring Oil Factory was built in 1910 in Melbu, an important industrial centre in northern Norway. This extensive modern facility occupied the whole island of Svinøya. The factory, which produced herring oil and fish meal, had between 40 and 60 employees. The characteristic smell emitted by the plant was called the “money smell”. Much of the facility was destroyed by fire in 1946 and processing was subsequently carried out in the open air. During the 1970s herring stocks were almost wiped out due to overfishing. The factory then switched over to capelin-based production, but when capelin stocks also became depleted the factory closed down in 1986. The equipment was sold to Morocco for the production of fish meal. The Norwegian Fishing Industry Museum opened in 1991.
