klemet environmental theater in the mountains of norway

‘klemet’ by bjørnådal arkitektstudio, hemnes, norway
image © ketil born
all images courtesy of bjørnådal arkitektstudio

nestled in the valley of hemnes, norway, local practice bjørnådal arkitektstudio has recently completed an outdoor environmental theater titled ‘klemet’ after a powerful sami shaman that lived on the very land. klemet was of nomadic decent living a sedentary lifestyle with the farmers. constantly in an environmental drama, the memory of his spirit is deeply engrained in the local history as he was a highly revered person. the outdoor theater seeks to present all the factors that made up his life through performance art and architecture as a form of celebration, remembrance, and closure. the two recycled-wood frame towers stand as the outer limits stage projecting light and sound onto the audience and represent the shaman’s drum sticks rising out of the ground – the reminder of the presence of a greater power. haystacks are used mostly as a stage presence, constituting houses, fences, curtains or general backdrops, and stand for the bucolic landscape and the farmers that inhabited it. the heller rock, which at one time provided housing for the shaman and his family, was recreated (after being destroyed in an act of cultural sabotage) through a mixture of glacier, stone and ancient sami building methods – representing the shaman and his personal life. seating for spectators is made from tree stumps discarded by local saw mills.

view of the performance area, seating, and towers in a gently sloping terrain
image © ketil born

community gathered to watch the play
image © ketil born

natural light levels of the setting sun contribute to the overall ambiance of the site
image © ketil born

image © ketil born

site

elevation

elevation

project info:

architecture & scenography: hans-petter bjørnådal
art director: ada einmo jurgensen
project idea: kjell joar pettersen-øverleir
playwright: stig bang
composer: kjell joar pettersen-øverleir
orchestra: tor petter aanes
technical staff: nordland teater
location: hemnes, norway
completed: 2013