24 Hours of Art
Places We Meet - Art in Public Spaces

Stavanger, 2026

On June 6, 2026, from 00:01 to 23:59, the Våland district will be transformed into a stage for performance art. Over the course of 24 hours, a series of performative happenings will unfold across Våland and adjacent urban spaces.

The program consists of free and open performances in all forms. These may include collective dance rituals, vocal performances, communal dinners, performative explorations of the city’s infrastructure and traffic hubs, as well as works that encourage us to slow down and heighten our sensitivity. Improvisation and movement will be central elements in a program that experiments with the use of our shared public spaces.

With 24 Hours of Art, we aim to make room for the surprising and rebellious impulses of performance art — its ability to disrupt the every-day, challenge our attention, and create new ways of encountering both the city and each other.

In collaboration with Stavanger’s art institutions and both local and international performance artists, we will explore site- specific performance works. The invited artists will investigate how the city’s spaces and infrastructure can be experienced and used in new ways.

24 Hours of Art experiments with audience access and various forms of presence and participation, challenging the boundaries of how and where art can emerge – and how we engage with it. The program will take place in both public and institutional spaces, such as buses, shops, nightclubs, churches, homes, and street corners.

The program is curated through direct commissions. A selection of artists and artist groups will be invited to present or develop works based on their practices within performance, interdisciplinary, and site- specific art. The Art Consultants will select relevant artists in consultation with the art committee. Each artist and artist group will be compensated for their concept, production, and performance. Stavanger’s art and cultural institutions will also be invited to contribute to the program with their own events – for example, performances, open showings, or extended opening hours during 24 Hours of Art. All contributions will be gathered into a shared program for the 24-hour event.