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.
photo: Bård Løken
Kalle Grude
Kalle Grude
Kalle Grude is a sculptor educated at the Oslo School of Architecture and the National Academy of Art. He work derives from a conceptual tradition and he employs various media. He has been actively involved in art circles since the end of the 1980s. During the last few years he has undertaken work that is closely associated with architecture, e.g. he has been involved in designing the marble roof of the new Opera Hall in Bjørvika. Since 2004 he has been a Professor of Art at the Bergen School of Architecture. At Neptun, Grune has focused on northern swearing. With his installation at Neptun he is hoping to reinstate one important aspect that is lacking at the site: the workers and their language.
