A graphite drawing inspired by a Norwegian steel plant by Miller Architecture Program faculty Sam van Strien was recently acquired by Drawing Matter, a British organization that explores the role of drawing in architectural thought and practice. Based in London, the Drawing Matter Collection includes works ranging from the Renaissance to the present day, including works by Mies van der Rohe, Louis Kahn, Aldo Rossi, Le Corbusier, Zaha Hadid, John Ruskin, and Frank Lloyd Wright.
"A/S Bjølvefossen" was developed during a residency at Kunstnarhuset Messen in Ålvik, Norway. Based on photographs from the archives of A/S Bjølvefossen (now Elkem Bjølvefossen), the drawing engages with the visual and industrial history of the factory that has shaped this company town since 1905. Today, the plant is a leading global producer of alloys for the iron and steel industries.
In his drawing, van Strien, assistant professor in the Eskenazi School's architecture program, reflects on the ways industrial architecture, archival traces, and systems of production shape both place and collective memory. The work extends the artist's ongoing investigation into the relationship between architecture and capitalism, exploring how these forces shape our built environment.
