This project is a social art project in collaboration with the Art Centre Kabuso and Utekontakten in Kvam. The idea of the project is to mobilize youth in Kvam to develop a new and unique arena for social interaction in the outdoor spaces of their village. The project utilizes the youth’s own ideas to find new perspectives on how we want to live together in Norwegian villages today.
The youth of Kvam and Norheimsund are calling for safe spaces within their hometown, further contributing to their experience growing up there. Ultimately, this project can play a role in preventing people from moving out of their hometown when they reach adulthood. The villages of Norway needs to accommodate for the young, as well as the established.
Since 2019, Meisfjord has met with the youths both in person and digitally, and they have held workshops together. These workshops have covered everything from conversations and interviews about what the youths wish to see at “Basen”, to building models and prototypes using both the actual space outside of “Basen” and DIY-model sets.
The areas for socializing need to fit the time and the people that are using it. The youth have themselves built 45 models, and press the importance of keeping “Basen” open and welcoming of all people and personalities regardless of sexual orientation, religious backround, skin color and personalities. They also insist on the space to be drug-free.
Due to the pandemic, some of the workshops had to be re-invented. This ended with the youths receiving do-it-yourself-kits along with an explanatory video, allowing them to continue the prototyping from the safety of their homes.
In October 2020, we presented the project to people of influence in the villages. Here, they talked about what they have already accomplished, the background of the project and the plans of building life-size models during the summer of 2021.
Research from 2017 show that 10% of the young inhabitants of Kvam have mental health issues. The youth in this project have shown great ownership of the project. They are passionate and have been part of illuminating the need to create a space that can be a part of the change that Kvam needs to better youths mental health challenges.