Over the past three years, Velferden has been working with the theme AVGANG / DEPONI, and this summer we are hosting a full-day seminar. Join us for a rare opportunity to take part in an open dialogue, hear compelling presentations from experts within their fields and experience new artistic works.
TIME AND PLACE:
Jøssingfjord Science Museum,
Friday 5 June 2026 at 08:30 - 18:00.
More about the day's programme further down the page
The seminar and transport are free!
Lunch and dinner are paid separately and can be selected on the registration form .
The seminar opens up new insights, unexpected encounters and reflections across disciplines, experiences and perspectives. We take as our starting point the major nature interventions in Sokndal, while at the same time looking outward towards the world.
Are you interested in art, the environment, industry or social development – or just curious about the topic? This is a unique opportunity to take part in an ongoing dialogue that can make a difference in the society we are all a part of.
The seminar is part of Velferden’s summer exhibition, presented this year at Jøssingfjord Vitenmuseum and Velferden. By registering for the seminar, you will also be invited to an exclusive preview of the exhibition opening at Velferden on June 6. The preview is followed by dinner. See the registration form for more information.
To attend the seminar you MUST fill out the registration form. We have approximately 40 seats available and registration will remain open until capacity is reached.
About theme WASTE / DEPOSIT :
Waste is the name for the worthless leftovers after valuable minerals have been separated from the rock in the mountain. This material—also referred to as tailings—is classified as waste and is stored in large deposits on land and at sea. Tailing deposits or landfills are currently a necessary consequence of mining. In Sokndal, which is Norway's largest mining municipality, the landfills amounts to millions of tons of waste- an unresolved potential resting on the seabed and within the landscape. We live in a modern consumer society, and all the products we use contain minerals. Every form of mineral extraction produces large amounts of waste and pollution. If the disposal of tailings in nature is a problem, how can we begin to change the way we do things?
At Velferden, we take a closer look at these issues and ask: How can we better manage the enormous amounts of waste we as a society generate? Are there other ways of managing resources that protect nature and make us more responsible consumers? How do these rapid interventions affect our relationship with nature as it is?
THE SEMINAR:
For the seminar, we have invited environmentalists, mining industry representatives, researchers, and artists to give presentations. The aim is not to produce simple answers, but to strengthen public dialogue and reflect on the complexity of these issues. We have divided the seminar into two parts; Problems and Potential:
PART 1: Issues
08:30 - 09:00 Registration, coffee and mingling
09:00 - 11:30:
Maiken Stene & Hans Edward Hammonds - Curators Departure / Landfill
Tonje Haugland Sørensen - Researcher in art history
Anne Katrine Lycke - Mining Committee of the Norwegian Association for the Protection of Nature
Knut Petter Netland - Project developer Titania a/s
Art and performance - Visual artist and participant Departure / Landfill
Group discussions in collaboration with the research project Material Ecologies of Design .
11:30 - 12:15
Lunch
PART 2: Potential
12:15 - 16:00
Maiken Stene & Hans Edward Hammonds - Curators Departure / Landfill
Egil Solheim - Managing Director NOAH / Rekefjord Stone
Pierre Matte - Visual artist and participant Departure / Landfill
Conservationist - Frederic Hauge, Bellona
Marie Storli - Social economist
Group discussions in collaboration with the research project Material Ecologies of Design and summary.
16:00 - 17:00
Shared transport from Jøssingfjord Vitenmuseum to Velferden, including a guided exhibition tour
17:00
Dinner for registered participants
