Seminar: Working with Temporary and Relational Art in Public Spaces

Welcome to a two-day seminar on temporary and relational art in public space.
How can participatory, temporary and site-specific art projects form new communities - and open up new ways of experiencing and inhabiting the city? What kinds of collaborations, artistic methods and working processes are needed to allow for experimentation and meaningful participation? And how can public administration and curatorial practice support projects that leave no permanent physical trace, yet still produce lasting experiences and impact?
Through presentations and discussions, the seminar explores how temporary, immaterial and relational art practices can create lasting traces – socially, sensorially and structurally – and how such practices can be developed within public frameworks. At the same time, the seminar addresses the concrete challenges of the field: how these practices are negotiated and realised within existing institutional, economic and bureaucratic conditions.
These questions will be explored through contributions by artists, curators, municipalities and public agencies, sharing experiences from specific projects in Norway and internationally.
We’re excited to welcome contributions by Truls Ramberg (Curator at KORO – Public Art Norway), Evgeny Goman (Curator and producer at Pikene på broen, curatorial collective), Sans façon (artist duo, GB/FR), Merete Røstad (artist and Associate Professor in Art and Public Space at Oslo National Academy of the Arts), Mathias Danbolt (Professor of Art History at the University of Copenhagen), Khanyisile Mbongwa (Curator of Art in the Public Realm at Amos Rex), Søssa Jørgensen and Geir Tore Holm (artist duo, NO) alongside a performance by Anna Ihle (NO).
The seminar is aimed at artists, curators, public art consultants and cultural workers in the public sector, as well as others working within the field of public art, and addresses key questions related to collaboration, processes and frameworks for temporary art in public space.
The seminar is part of the art programme The Places We Meet – Art in Public Spaces in Stavanger Municipality, presented in connection with Stavanger’s 900-year anniversary. It takes place at Tou in collaboration with Stavanger kommune and is curated by Koffi & Højgaard.
Interested in experiencing temporary art in practice? Join Kunstdøgnet (24 Hours of Art) on 6-7 June - 24 hours of performance and temporary art projects across Stavanger.
Programme: Full programme to be announced soon
Language: English
Price: NOK 350 (institutions) / NOK 150 (freelancers and artists)
Capacity: Limited places (approx. 150)
Programme at Tou
Thursday 4 June 2026
Seminar 12:00-17:00
Art Bar 17:00-20:00
11:45-12:00 Registration and coffee
12.00-12.30 Opening presentation by Koffi & Højgaard
12.35-13.15 Keynote speaker: Truls Ramberg, KORO Public Art Norway
13:15-13:25 Q&A with Truls Ramberg, KORO Public Art Norway
13:25-13:55 Break
13.55-14:25 Speaker: Evgeny Goman, Pikene på broen
14:30-15:00 Performance by Anna Ihle
15:05-15:35 Artist presentation: Sans façon
15:40-16:00 Break
16:00-16.45 Panel conversation with Koffi & Højgaard, Pikene på broen and Sans façon. Moderated by Sofie B. Ringstad
16:45-17:00 Thank you for today
17:00-20:00 Open Studios at Tou: possibility for visiting local artists studio by appointment
17:00-20:00 Art Bar at Øst (Tou)
Friday 5 June 2026
Seminar 10:00-16:00
09:30-10:00 Registration and coffee
10:00-10:10 Welcome by Koffi & Højgaard
10:10-10:40 Speaker: Marie Midttun, Stavanger Municipality
10:45-12:30 Keynote speaker: Merete Røstad, Artist and Associate Professor in Art and Public Space at Oslo National Academy of the Arts
12:30-13:00 Lunch break
13:00-13:30 Speaker: Mathias Danbolt, Professor of Art History at the University of Copenhagen
13:35-14:20 Keynote speaker: Khanyisile Mbongwa, Curator of Art in the Public Realm at Amos Rex in Finland
14:20-14:35 Break
14:35-15:05 Artist presentation: Søssa Jørgensen and Geir Tore Holm
15:10-15:45 Panel conversation with Merete Røstad, Khanyisile Mbongwa, Mathias Danbolt, Søssa Jørgensen and Geir Tore Holm. Moderated by Sofie B. Ringstad
15:45-16:00 Thank you for today
Saturday 6 June 2026
Kunstdøgn (24 hours of art) begins with an opening ceremony and performance at 12:00 in Kunsthall Stavanger. Follow the programme at https://www.stavanger.kommune.no/kultur-og-fritid/kultur/kunst-i-offentlige-rom2/der-vi-motes---kunst-i-uterom2/.