The White Paper (A Sudden Gust of Wind) An invisible force of nature has caused large sheets of paper to fly along the facade of Oslo S. In this frozen moment a whirlwind shifts the perspective. In the eye of the storm, on the inside of the facade, the sheets are of normal size whilst along the exterior they are over dimensioned.
The inspiration for the installation is the A4 sheet, the international standard designed by Walter Porstmann in 1922. Norway was one of the first countries to introduce the A format, in 1926, following a recommendation by the Deutsches Institut for Normung. Today the A format is used by almost all countries worldwide. What does a piece of paper mean? To be without valid papers, to be paperless, has unfortunately become a familiar term for all and a reality for many. The blank page is often seen as the symbol of a growing bureaucracy, where papers are passed around in the public’s interest. The blank page also suggests opportunity and new beginnings. In addition, the work refers to Hokusai’s wood print from 1830, and Jeff Wall’s photo from 1993 “A Sudden Gust of Wind”, where the wind blows white paper sheets from a briefcase high up in the air. The intention of the A4 standard was to create order in chaos, to streamline, to create a universal format that everyone could agree on so that exchange and contact between countries and people would be facilitated. In the limitations of its format lie a big idea, one of freedom and understanding. The work is a collaboration with artist Björn Hegardt, Berlin. Photo: Björn Hegardt