Den store rosa elefanten
The big pink elephant in the room in Norway, that which people ignore and find it hard to talk about: the oil industry. It has been a source of enormous wealth, and enormous emissions. It’s time to tell the truth and have those difficult conversations. This initial drawing is a visualisation of ideas discussed in a working group. Paul and Kaja brought “Eli” to life. Here she is, with Paul, in front of the Norwegian parliament building – Stortinget – during an XR event.
Norgzilla
A visualisation of the impact the Norwegian fossil fuel industry is having on the planet, turned into a banner by Annika – first used in an international action in Berlin October 2019.
Snowman blockade
I was involved in assisting a bunch of XR snowmen who blocked the entrance/exit to the Department of Justice in April 2020. It was a silent and peaceful blockade focusing on the right to demonstrate. After a couple of hours the police insisted that they vacate the area, the snowmen refused to leave, so they were forcibly removed.
Equitanic
An attempt to visualise the current situation, where the seemingly unstoppable national oil industry Equinor claims it is both reasonable and justified to continue exploiting oil well into the 2070’s or 80’s. The government currently supports this – as long as it is profitable. “The person who will switch off the light in the Norwegian oilfields…has not yet been born”. The high costs to nature and humanity, and the climate crisis are clearly not included in this concept of profit.
These ideas were developed through the Artivism group, and realised in 3D by Paul, Kaja and the Artivism group.
Outside Equinors Oslo offices at Fornebu, May 2021
The last oil supper
On a bridge in the centre of Oslo XR, June 2020, activists play out the last meal in Norway. There is no longer anything to eat or drink, other than oil. Norway’s enormous wealth is celebrated, as a seven-course oil meal is served. The formal and polite dinner descends into chaos as participants are unable to keep the oil down – they vomit over themselves, the table and each other, they collapse and die. Eventually only one – the host – remains. He sits, gleefully, with the entire wealth of Norway, as his life slips away.
My role in the process was to assist in the visualising of the ideas – one of the drawings
Some of the media coverage