Nøkkelslukeren is a troll and a temple that honours Kjærlighetsbrua (also called the KHiO bridge) as a modern ad-hoc ritual site in Oslo. This recognition comes in the form of a portal with two windows towards South and North - a stopping place in the middle of something that otherwise can be perceived as a simple road.

A modern temple erected to affirm our need for actions of non-practical nature and our understanding of symbolism, ancient archetypes and mythology.

The Key Eater intends to tell his story by means of its joinery and materials. If lucky, you can spot him somewhere around his bridge.

When (interior) architects or furniture designers start designing spaces and furniture, they often imagine themselves as coordinators – someone who creates solutions for a user to feel or act in a particular way. Geometry, materials, light, symbols are used to encourage a certain activity. These projects run through critical and eventually speculative design, always starting with pinpointing problems: People are not able to break out of their loneliness, people should downsize, people should seek more nature, less objects, etc. We have to admit a certain arrogance behind this.

I want to see the beauty in people. I want to see what already is, as opposed to what is not. Therefore I have built a site specific room that will complement an existing ritual on a particular place: The Lovers Bridge. The ritual of attaching a lock on the bridge and throwing the key in the river is a transition ritual that we understand without problems thanks to our sensitivity to symbols and archetypes. It is linked to our world’s mythology. It is beyond languages and art. It is beautiful.

My wooden construction only adds two portals and the hint of a sacred room between them. My definition of sacred is «consecrated by ritual». The space plays on the concept of the key – the tiny little metal object that holds the energy and secret of a cabinet, a giant door, or a marriage. I have invented my own metal joinery to tell that story. Or maybe it existed for centuries and I just didn’t know about it?

Finally, I have borrowd the language of folk tales to presented my construction as Nøkkelslukeren - the troll under the bridge, who eats falling keys and threatens to come up and eat couples who don’t take their rituals seriously.

By doing so, I have hopefully managed to honour meaningful actions of nearly 8000 people, linked to a particular site on a particular river. And maybe, just maybe, opened a discussion about the deep importance behind actions of non-practical nature.