So back in February last year, I took a business trip to Stavanger, Norway. There I stayed in a Hotel that had a large tapestry I dubbed “The Eye of Sauron”:
Now comes word that Stavanger has another Eye of Sauron.
Cities outside Stavanger are obviously suffering an Eye of Sauron Gap…
While the weird herons were far and away the most interesting art I saw in Stavanger, I did find the installation in my hotel (the Radisson Blu Royal) of a large tapestry I called “The Eye of Sauron” sort of interesting:
This was evidently by an artist named Randy Naylor and was for sale. Which makes me wonder exactly who he thinks will buy a four story piece of interior hanging art in Stavanger.
There was also a similar painting behind the breakfast buffet tables I called “The Eye of Sauron Jr.” that was probably more practical for the average art buyer.
Wandering around Stavanger, I took pictures of some the statues, none of which were impressive. “Expressionless men in hats staring off into the distance” seemed to be the dominant motif.
Indeed, the only art that really knocked me out while I was this weird mural of herons on the back of a (for lack of a better word) tenement building there:
Click to embiggen. Also, a full roof-level image can be found here.
Turns out it was done by a Belgian street artist named ROA from something called the “NUART Landmark Series.” ROA seems to have done lots of cool, freaky animal murals in other cities, but very few people will ever see the one in Stavanger…
I don’t know the actual address of where this building is. To see it, walk down along the road on the south-east shoreline from the Oil Museum, then jog north on Verven (I think) where there are a bunch of apartment buildings in the shadow of the Stavanger Bridge until you come to a circular pond/park/dog park right beneath the bridge, then look back toward the center of the city.
(Edited to add: Another view.)
I just got back from spending two weeks in Stavanger, Norway.
A. Rhetorical Device: What made you decide to vacation there?
It wasn’t a vacation, it was a business trip. Nobody goes to Stavanger on vacation. It’s essentially the Norwegian equivalent of a New England fishing village that suddenly had an oil boom, thanks to the North Sea. People go there because they work for a company in the oil business, which is why I was there.
A. Rhetorical Device: Are you saying it’s a hellhole?
Not at all. The center of town is general clean, attractive and picturesque, pretty much everyone speaks English as a second language, and the hotels have all the modern amenities.
A. Rhetorical Device: So what’s the problem?
Unless you like pub crawling (I don’t), there’s nothing to do there. You can see pretty much everything downtown in an afternoon, including the Norwegian Petroleum Museum (more about which later), and I wasn’t pining to see the fjords. Beyond that it’s business parks and suburbs, and the sun was rising when I went to work, and setting when I went home. There were maybe three days that weren’t rainy, snowy or overcast. Plus everything is twice as expensive (at least) as it is in the U.S. My hotel hamburger clocked in at $30.
A. Rhetorical Device: So why are you bringing this up?
I’m glad you asked, Mr. Rhetorical Device! Things are going to be a bit slow while I wait for my mind to catch up to my body, so expect several Stavanger-related posts while I get back up to speed.
A. Rhetorical Device: Wait, you don’t mean—
Yes. Vacation pictures, starting with this broad pond in the center of the old part of he city. Click to embiggen.
