A Bench to be Seen
Outside Dragefjellet there is a bench. The bench is a sculpture. It is beautifully situated overlooking Puddefjorden, surrounded by green grass. It is not meant to be sat on.
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A footpath runs in a wide circle around the bench, so it can be viewed from all sides. It allows us to observe the sculptural play in the rock in three dimensions. If we see it from a distance, it may seem as if the upper part of the bench is a backrest. Up close, it becomes clear that the massive stone slab is as thick as in the section below. The tops of both sections are polished, so bright that you can see your mirror image in it. The contrast is great to the vertical sides; they are in rough, dark stone of a type familiar from roadside rock faces. In this way, the sculpture highlights larvikite as a material, its characteristics and possibilities.
Kristian Blystad’s (1946-) sculptures range from classically inspired to experimental, often archaic representations. Blystad likes to use granite and wood, but also works with combinations of different materials. He has produced a number of major public artworks, notably for the Government Building, Parliament and the Naval Academy in Bergen.
NORA SØRENSEN VAAGE