How do you create belonging in a neighborhood that is constantly evolving? Can art help make a place more than just a transportation stop, a place where people feel a sense of ownership, stop and remember?
These are the questions that underlie Økernhendenser 2026 , an art project curated by performing artist Mine Nilay Yalcin . On Friday, September 18th at 2:00 PM–5:00 PM , TrAP and Kloden theater audience to three performative art events out in public space.
Art as part of urban development
Økern is an area undergoing major change. Old industrial buildings are being replaced by homes, offices and new urban spaces. At the same time, the question arises of how a new district gains its own identity.
As a curator, Mine Nilay Yalcin wants to investigate what role art can play in this process. She is interested in how art can create community, new perspectives and unexpected encounters in everyday life. In the curatorial text, she describes Økern events as a series of cultural and artistic “stumbling blocks”, events that make people stop, experience their surroundings anew and see the place with different eyes.
Yalcin points out that culture is an important part of urban development. When new neighborhoods emerge, development is not just about buildings and infrastructure, but also about creating belonging, shared experiences and space for imagination. Through Økernhendenser, she wants to activate places that are often just passed by, and open them up to new experiences and new stories.
Three artistic encounters
This year's program brings together three artists who, in different ways, examine the relationship between people and urban space.
Moving Matters , developed by Mine Nilay Yalcin, features five performers moving as one body through their surroundings. Drawing inspiration from parkour, dance and street theatre, details such as railings, curbs and architecture are brought to the fore in new ways, transforming the everyday into something unexpected.
PAN OCTO PUS , by Ragni Halle and Andrea Lindeneg, invites six audience members at a time into a small red tent. The wordless puppet theatre performance draws inspiration from fairgrounds and historical freak shows, and explores the strange and the unknown.
A truly crazy show, The Maniac and Mr. Orchestra combine fakir art, live music and street theater in a performance filled with humor, surprises and breakneck stunts.
Target group: for everyone
Venue: Økern Metro Station
Duration: 14:00-17:00
A collaboration between TrAP and Kloden theater
Økernhendenser 2026 is a production collaboration between TrAP and Kloden theatre. Together they want to explore how art can create new encounters between people and help give public spaces new meanings. Through three different artistry, the audience is invited to experience the city in a different way, not just as a place to move through, but as a place where new stories can arise.