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Oh! Oslo Weekly Digest & Weekend Plan (Week 24)

Newbee — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 13:09:06 +0000

Festival season has kicked off and Summer holiday is afoot, but we don’t leave you just yet. Refresh yourself with all the latest!

In this week…

The biggest debate this week must go to the city emblem debacle. Oslo Kommune has spent nearly 5 million kroner to get a unified and modern visual identity for all the departments under Oslo Kommune. The new identity created by the agency Creuna was revealed earlier this week and immediately met with widespread criticism. The major problem lies on the concern that if the city emblem will be completely replaced by the new oversimplified logo or not.

A “modern, simplistic, clean” redesign goes completely wrong, well, it reminds us of this joke about the Starbucks logo.
Bruker nesten 5 mill. på ny Oslo-design: – Har kommet litt feil ut

The slow TV series Minutt for Minute has become a Summer tradition here in Norway, and this year we are going to follow the “Norwegian Bear Grylls” Lars Monsen exploring nature across the country. Monsen minutt for minutt will be on telly on 12 July.
– Jeg gleder meg til å se andre ha det fint på tur

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotell, or locally known as Oslo Plaza, will gain three additional floors on the existing building, reclaiming the status of the tallest building in Oslo. It will also get a new 17-storey extension next to the original building.
Oslo får nytt mini-Plaza

The new trams in Oslo are going to be Spanish. The model of the new tram is Urbos 100, now known as SL18. You can see them test-running in 2020, and in 2024 all the 72 old trams will be replaced by these new ones.
Oslo skal kjøpe 87 Spania-trikker til mer enn fire milliarder

The salary for a Member of Parliament(Stortingsrepresentant) has been increased this year by 26.000kr, meaning that their new yearly salary becomes 954 000 kroner, soon reaching 1 million kroner mark. Audun Lysbakken, the leader of SV, said that it’s time for the parliament to take a political debate about the MPs’ salary level, and we can’t agree more.
Stortinget bevilger seg selv 26.000 kroner i lønnsøkning

A new 26-episode animated series about three vikings has been commissioned by Disney, and most important of all, it’s Disney’s first Norwegian animation production. It took the production company Storm Films ten years to finish the development of this new series Viking Skool.
«Nordmenn lager vikingserie for Disney

NRK has made a lot of effort on raising the awareness of the tremendous pressure guys are under to achieve an ideal body image. Mathias Vestergaard, one of the informants, used to get bullied for his chest and he had to use a belt to bind his chest at school. In the end he went through a surgery. A saddening but alarming story. Highly recommended.
15.000 gutter svarte NRK om kropp: Dette er viktigst for oss

What’s on this weekend…

Courtesy of Noplace & Nicholas Riis / Photo credit: Lars Brekke

FESTIVAL // Piknik i Parken 2018 : Summer festival season is in full swing now with Piknik i Parken kicking off at Vigelandsparken this Friday (Vigelandsparken – 15-17 June)

FESTIVAL // Fysisk Fest 2018 : The indie music label Fysisk Formats is marking its 10 year birthday with a festival! Some of the acts playing are The Good The Bad And The Zugly, Kollwitz and Hilma Nikolaisen (15-17 June)

TOUR // Åpen dag i det nye Nasjonalmuseet : Maybe it’s good to take a closer look at the new National Museum after all the heated discussion? (1-5pm – 16 June)

CONCERT // Lørdag: Eikrem & Baksaas – Duets Releasekonsert : The release party for Duets, a double album by Bendik Baksaas & Kristoffer Eikrem.(VIPPE – 9pm – 16 June)

CLUB // Magnus International // Ullern Villaklubb : We love Magnus International’s debut Echo To Echo under Full Pupp. So if you fancy dancing, go there. (Dattera til Hagen – 11pm – 16 June)

THEATRE // THE HUM AV SUSIE WANG : The critically-acclaimed performance by the theatre collective Susie Wang is returning to Dramatikkenshus for its second run! (Dramatikkenshus – 15-16June)

ART // Nicholas Riis – Rope : It’s your last chance to see Nicolas Riis’ exhibition Rope at Noplace this weekend. The works look kinky, weird and hard to define — and the lengthy interview with Riis on Noplace website captures it rather well.(Noplace – 27 May – 17 June)

Newbees in Oslo…

BAR // Bar Albatross: Torshov used to be the peaceful, quiet neighbourhood for wealthy young parents and grownups. But well, things are starting to change because it has got itself another new hip, designy and hipster neighbourhood bar Albatross. It has the classic hipster decor that is done by Morten Engebretsen. Having just opened its doors last week, it has already stolen singer-songwriter Marte Wulff’s heart. “It just opened and I already feel like it has always been there. Good music, good people, and good anything you like to drink,” said Marte in the interview we did with her new band VIGGO. Torshovgata 5 – Torshov

BAR // Pedro’s: In addition to the staple Portuguese fixtures Pastel de Nata and Andorinha, we now have got one more tasteful addition — Pedro’s. Run by a 25-year old Portugese called Pedro Caiado, it has probably found itself the best spot in town to serve the hungry and wine-thirsty shoppers in Bogstadveien. Hegdehaugsveien 36 C – Majorstuen

Eatery // EDDA: EDDA is the new upmarket restaurant located in Bjørvika. Henny Mürers gang 1 – Bjørvika

Newbees in Music…

photo credit: Mutual Intentions

MUSIC // Kristoffer Eikrem & Bendik Baksaas – Duets: This double album not only looks sexy, but also sounds absolutely fantastic and mesmerising. If you love minimalistic electronic music with a touch of jazz, then you should definitely check this album out, and consider to go to the release party! Label: Mutual Intentions

Duets by Kristoffer Eikrem & Bendik Baksaas

MUSIC // Intertwine – Tokyo : Tokyo is the new single from the three-piece Intertwine. It’s a top-notch Scandinavian synth pop tune that reminds you of The Radio Dept. and the likes from Sweden, combining the melancholy and musical exuberance seamlessly. Frontman Tarjei Ekelund studied in Tokyo before. Label: Brilliance

Music // Eirik Aas – Min tid : The latest single from Bergen-based rapper Eirik Aas. He is also doing his first Oslo gig tonight at Revolver.Label: Vibbefanger

BOOK // LINER QUOTES : Liner Quotes is a new book series by author and photographer Ketil Mosnes. The first of the series is Aurora. Label: Vårt Forlag

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Oh! Oslo Weekly Digest & Weekend Plan (Week 23)

Newbee — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 08:41:11 +0000

It’s been a week of reflection. The new National Museum has created one of the most fierce public debate this year. What’s your take?

photo credit: Kleihues + Schuwerk

In this week…

The new National Museum will not open until 2020, but as soon as the half finished architecture in Aker Brygge became visible to the public, it has instantly become an eye sore and got roundly castigated by critics, architects, and, not least, ordinary Osloers.

Worse still, the original glowing part of the architecture, known as Alabasthallen, suffered from technical issues and so the original material albaster had to be dropped. Even the responsible architect Klaus Schuwerk said he would consider not to come to the opening as it looks too ugly, blaming the Statsbygg — Norwegian Directorate of Public Construction and Property — for the poor choice of material.

But in a strange turn of events, Schuwerk came forward to defend his own architecture, expressing that he couldn’t understand why it is possible to discuss a half-finished building. Well, we know the answer to this question though: freedom of expression, we assume.
Det nye Nasjonalmuseet på Vestbanen vekker oppsikt: – Avvisende, ignorant og introvert

It’s definitely not a good week for the Statsbygg. Now nineteen architecture firms have come together to file a complaint against them because of how they handled the construction bidding for the new government building.
19 selskaper går sammen om klage mot Statsbygg

The government is considering to either relocate or rebuild the prison and police quarter in Grønland, as both of the buildings are deemed old and can no longer meet the modern standards required by the police. This has created heated debate in the parliament, whereas nothing is set in stone just yet.
Politihuset i Oslo kan bli flyttet

The new “plain pack” regulations on Snus(Tobaco) has come into effect since 1 July, meaning that the snus packaging design has to be stripped down and cannot use attractive design and colours anymore. “Plain pack” is meant to make snus look dull and unappealing, but ironically it makes snus even more designy and cool than ever.
«Plain pack»-fadesen: Gratulerer, Høie!

After 20 years, NRK is done with the popular talk show Skavlan.
Western Europeans divided over whether their culture is superior to others

What’s on this weekend…

FESTIVAL // Oslo Mikrobryggfest 2018: Do you know there are 18 microbreweries in Oslo? Maybe time to check them out in this festival and get drunk then! (2 June)

FESTIVAL // Oslo Comics Expo 2018 : The long running Oslo Comics Expo is back this weekend! It consists of a market, talks, interviews and exhibitions. Don’t miss this annual event if you are a fan of comics and illustrations! (6-9 June)

FESTIVAL // Heddadagene 2018 : The most important theatre festival in Norway. This week-long festival contains a big volume of shows, talks and seminars, culminating in the prestigious awards Heddaprisen. And also, don’t miss out Kloden i Sentrum! It’s for younger audience and the tent is right in front of National Theatre. (8-17 June)

MARKET // Handmade in Norway curates – SALT Night Market: Handmade in Norway is organising the night market at Salt this weekend. Fancy some design and craft products? (SALT – 8-10 June)

FILM // OSLO PIX 2018 : Film festival Oslo Pix is back for its second year. (4-10 June)

ART // Avgang 2018: Design/Traust: The graduation shows for design and material design at KHiO are on till 10 June. (KHiO – 1-10 June)

MUSIC // Releaseparty – Sex Judas feat. Ricky – Go Down Judas : A collaboration with illustrator Sindre Goksøyr, Sex Judas feat. Ricky is the side project of Tore Gjedrem from the electronic duo Ost&Kjex. The cover art alone for Go Down Judas is worth your attention, undoubtedly one of the best album cover arts this year.(Kafé Hærverk – 9pm – 21 June)

Newbees in Oslo…

EATERY // KUMI Oslo: Schweigaards gate is indeed receiving a new green makeover. The new vegan/vegetarian café Kumi has been serving organic plant-based food and drinks in Gamle Byen since January! Schweigaards gate 56

Newbees in Music…

photo credit: NRK

MUSIC // Orions Belte – Atlantic Surfing: The new Norwegian band Orions Belte(which we just introduced not along ago) has released a new single called Atlantic Surfing. This track takes a completely different direction from their debut single Le Mans. It’s an uplifting banger — an explosive collision between space rock and krautrock. And we absolutely love the cover art series for the singles! No doubt Orions Belte are now our favourite new Norwegian band and we can’t wait to listen to their debut!

MUSIC // Jenny Hval – The Long Sleep EP : Jenny Hval has formed a new band called Lost Girls, but her latest release is still a solo work. This EP is a jazzy, dreamy and almost trippy work. The easy-listening side and soft tone of it also allude to the indie sounds from the ’80s and ’90s, reminding us a bit of the Snndays or the later works by Cocteau Twins. Label: Sacred Bones Records

The Long Sleep EP by Jenny Hval

MUSIC // Okay Kaya – Both : The long-awaited debut from the New York-based actor, model and musician Kaya Wilkins aka Okay Kaya has finally arrived. Having worked with King Krule and bagging an acting role in Joachim Trier’s Thelma, she has been widely talked about by the fashion and indie music outlets. Her debut album Both, which is raw and lo-fi, and one that is easily considered to be the typical new hipster “bedroom” sounds these days, might not live up to the hype, but the emotions and conflicted feelings expressed through the music sound genuine and heartfelt. Label: HEAVY BODY

FILM // Vann over ild : Joern Utkilen’s debut feature film has come to Norwegian cinemas this week. We haven’t seen this absurd satire just yet, but the receptions in the media are positive so far.

TV // Oslo Zoo : Created and directed by Øyvind Holtmon, this eight-part comedy drama is about how the unemployed aspiring academic Amir struggles with life. It sounds a bit like Netflix’s Master of None, does it? Indeed It’s quite similar, and it also feels like a crossover with High Maintenance. Anyway, we are happy to see a Norwegian TV series with a non-white Norwegian leading role that focuses on the life of someone with immigrant backgrounds.

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