solar oven

PERFORMANCE / EXHIBITION

The sun is one of Earth’s alchemists. Its energy shapes our planet and connects us to space. Solar Alchemy is a solar oven installation at the Harestua Solar Observatory, where sunlight filters through forest treetops and shimmers across surrounding lakes. Berries ripen to bright red, mushrooms linger in the shadows, and a 20-meter Solar Tower concentrates light with mirrors to study the sun. Within this landscape, a solar oven is being built in a different spirit. Like the tower, it gathers sunlight to a single focal point, generating intense heat. Yet for Solar Alchemy, the oven’s purpose is not only practical. It is an instrument designed to invite reflection on ways of observing, on material transformation, and on the sun’s enduring influence on life.

Still: Louise Rapley

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Part of The Sound of the Sun exhibition at the Solar Observatory.

The Sound of the Sun program is organized by Hedvig Biong, Jessica MacMillan, and Marius Moldvær in collaboration with Vegard Rekaa and Torstein Nybø of Solobservatoriet. The exhibition is generously supported by Akershus Fylkeskommune / Akershus County Municipality, ⁠Kulturrådet / Arts Council Norway, ⁠Kunstsentrene i Norge / Association of Norwegian Art Centers, and ⁠Norske Billedkunstnere / Norwegian Artists Association / Lunner and Gran Municipalities.

Oven fabricated with Louise Rapley.