by neonbluelights
“Bjørvika Snelda Sukkerbiten” by Helge Høifødt is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
For a long time, there have been discussions about whether photography should be considered art or not. Now it is widely accepted as a form of art. The past year there have been articles about establishing Fotografihuset on “Sukkerbiten” in Bjørvika in Oslo. The organization Fotografihuset AS was established in 2014 and it represents the Norwegian photo community. The establishment of Fotografihuset in Bjørvika wishes to create an inspirational meeting place for the community. People disagree on whether this house should be built or not, and a lot of people want “Sukkerbiten” to be a recreational area.
Another topic of discussion regarding the construction of this house is funding. A question I want to ask is what makes organizations and institutions within art eligible to receive public funding, and how is it decided whether they should get financial support or not?
In my opinion some criteria should be that they are different from already existing exhibitions, and that they’re able to contribute with something new and exciting that the public need and will show interest in. This would make sense, because if the public is going to financially support the art exhibition or the institution, it should be in the public’s interest. This can be linked to the public interest explanation – one of the three government motives for supporting the arts.
Regarding Fotografihuset, it seems like a big issue is that a lot of people question if we need another house for photography, as we already have existing photo galleries. As I can imagine, this will cause people to be critical of public funding of Fotografihuset. Art can receive public funding in different ways. This can be at a state, regional and local level. According to plan, two thirds of the operating budget will be funded by Fotografihuset itself, while the remaining third will have to be publicly funded.
It seems to me like the uncertainty around the house and its purpose is what divides people’s opinions. I think research, information and planning is key here. Find out what the audience wants, give them proper information about what Fotografihuset can offer and make a plan that will work in the long run. I like the idea behind Fotografihuset, but if there’s a chance it won’t succeed and a majority feel like they don’t need it, the public won’t profit from supporting and funding it.
References:
Abbing, H. (2002). Why Are Artists Poor?: The Exceptional Economy of the Arts. Amsterdam University Press: Amsterdam.
Henriksen, A. (2019). Full splittelse i byrådet om Sukkerbiten. Retrieved from https://www.aftenposten.no/osloby/i/jdgyGw/full-splittelse-i-byraadet-om-sukkerbiten
Norges Fotografforbund. (2018). Fotografihuset til Bjørvika – planlegger åpning i 2022. Retrieved from https://fotografforbundet.no/2018/05/fotografihuset-til-bjorvika/
Strand, N. (2019). Trenger vi Fotografihuset? Retrieved from https://www.dagbladet.no/kultur/trenger-vi-fotografihuset/71421130
Making sense of art and design industries 