In collaboration with Odda municipality,  NVIM (Norwegian Hydropower- & Industrialized city Museum) participates in the Odda-biennale 2004 in an attempt to utilize part of the vast areas, left behind by the bankrupcy of Odda steelworks, as a cultural arena. The artist Reinhardt Søbye has among other contributions supplied the Odda-biennale with six portraits of the laid off steelworkers.

NVIM in Tyssedal is already an inspiring museum with great potential for development, especially as a cultural attraction. The natural surroundings, arcitecture and local history lend themselves easily to the display of art. (as mentioned in St.m. 48, regional buildings for cultural displays).  

NVIM's artistic profile stresses that the art should adapt to, and interact with, the local environment to further current and historical goals. Reinhardt Søbye pictures fit this profile perfectly.   The hydrostation, which originally supplied the ironworks with electricity, went silent in 1980. Never again shall the turbines spin and charge the generators. The power-station is now silent, and we would like to mark this occasion by bringing in the "Six ironworkers" and letting them reside over a generator each in the "cathedral of power" in a powerful and symbolic gesture. This will elaborate the historical link betweeen hydropower and electrically demanding industry the museum already conveys.

Concurrently, Søbye is showing his exhibition " "Last Defence" which is accompanied by soundworks composed by Liv Eirill Evensen. This takes place   in one of the old pipegates in the basement, which for the first time is used as a gallery. Additionally   Søbye also displays seven never before seen works under the title ”Los Mensch!”, in the museums regular showroom.

Søbye is well known and highly esteemed in Japan, and his art has been purchased by several influential instituions there. Subsequentially we have the honour of having Mr. Kimihisa Ono, head of the Cultural Project Division of Asahi Shimbum (who organized the big retrospectiv "Witness-The Art of Reinhardt Søbye" in 3 major artmuseums in Japan 1999), open the exhibit in Tyssedal. Mr. Ono is one of the most internationally recognized proponents of Japanese art, and has broad experience with organising and coordinating   collaborative efforts between museums, media, institutions and artists.

In another room, Anna Stina Næss will display ceramics under the title "Gjennom ild og vann". She is assosciated with the artist-group "Harding Puls" and have participated in exhibitions, domestic and abroad.

As part of the cultural and economical project, the young Leander Djønne from Odda, currently studying in Frankfurt, will spend a forthnight with three other young artists in Tyssedal creating large format installations/sculptures focusing on the themes of water/power/sound. This is part of what we call "Tyssosium 2004", where artists, including Roger Gjerstad will try to use the old smithy by the hydrostation as a workshop for miscellaneous artistic activities.

Saturday between 11.00 - 14.00 there will be held a  seminar with the themes "viewing art in unconventional places" and "art as an economical element" gathering several keynote speakers in Statkrafts newly built conference-centre, which opened may 12th this year. The centre is decorated by Anne Kathrine Dolven, and is as such a perfect venue for the event.

For those arriving on Friday, there can be guided tours.