Norwegian corporations

3.2.2.1 Telenor

As discussed in my Master Thesis, several Norwegian corporations that possesses an art collection describe that the major objectives of the collection is to increase the comfort and well being of their employees, and to increase creativity and innovation. (Hagen 1999) A similar objective is also described in the guidelines of the Telenor Art Collection;

Telenor needs creative and innovative performers. We believe that a diversity of light, colors, forms and art in the working environment helps increase creativity. Art is about sensing, dreaming, experience and reflect(ion). These are all important qualities for people that create new ways of doing things. ²¹⁵

This means that creativity and innovation is a major objective for the art collection at Telenor. The corporation believes that art increases creativity and innovation. An interesting aspect of Telenor considering art as a “creativity booster” is the extremely flexible organization of work that is practiced at the corporation’s headquarters, which also reflects an “artist lifestyle and way of work”, as this is described in artist myths, discussed in chapter 3.1.2.4. The organization of work is flexible in several ways. The headquarters of Telenor has 1) no regular desks for employees, who can choose a new desk to work at every day. 2) The employees are free to decide where they like to work, and can work from their private homes if they want to. 3) They can also work at what time they like, as long as they fulfill their duty of work. 4) The chief executive officer also works together with the employees, although he also has his own office. 5) The architecture is harmonious with the flexible organization of work, and has open planned work areas. Although one cannot claim that Telenor’s art collection has led to this flexible and “artist like” principal for organizing the work, the artist myth may have influenced the way they organize work in respect of the efforts that are made to increase creativity. In other words “the artist way” may play a

215 Telenor Art Collection – guidelines, January 2008

role in the corporate ideology that makes the basis for such ways of organizing work. As stated in the guidelines for the art collection;

Since 1998, Telenor has been committed to enhance the role that architecture, design and the visual arts play in ensuring aesthetic well-being and profiling. The Telenor Art Collection is a key element in this effort.²¹⁶

Employees at Telenor say that the art collection contributes to their well being in a similar way as the emphasized architecture of the headquarters, and contributes to make a pleasant working environment. The employees mainly experience the art collection as inspiring, but some artworks are also experienced as

provocative, and have led to debates among employees. For instance Jenny Holzers digital text strip, where the text contains statements about sexual abuse is described by employees as “a depressive message from a mother to her child”.

Although this artwork may disturb some employees, the corporation confirms its provocative content, as stated in their website; “…a neon-red LED-display shows provocative statements streaming across the main façade in Jenny Holzers text installation.”²¹⁷

As mentioned in chapter 2.2.2.1, some artworks have also had to be removed, for instance an artwork made by the controversial artist Bjarne Melgaard, because the artwork had a religious content that could offend people from foreign cultures, or be experienced as blasphemous. Although most corporations avoid displaying art that can be experienced as offensive, as this is not good for business, as well as possibly be a burden to employees, Jenny Holzers text-stripe is listed among the corporation’s major works of art, together with Daniel Burens pillars and a giant aluminum child sculpture made by Maria Miesenberger. It appears that an important objective of the collection is also to create a museum like art experience; “...like walking through a museum of international

contemporary art”, where “art can be inspiring and encouraging, as it can be disturbing and provocative”.²¹⁸ Indeed art experiences in museums may

sometimes be disturbing and provocative, or at least particular exhibitions can be.

But at the same time the corporation also states that;

216 Telenor Art Collection – guidelines, January 2008

217 http://www.telenor.com/en/about-us/culture-and-art/art-at-work/print/y (02.14.2011)

218 http://www.telenor.com/en/about-us/culture-and-art/art-at-work/print/y (02.14.2011)

We like to care for our people by surrounding them with art. Our vision is to inspire people with museum quality art, located not in a museum but in the office buildings…²¹⁹

In other words, a contradictory dilemma occurs when the intention is both to take care of the employees, to make them feel well at work, and at the same time, exposing employees at work to disturbing and provocative art. The question is then, should art at work be disturbing and provocative? As described by one of my informants, an American art advisor, “large corporations prefer “safe” art expressions which are not political or make people feel uncomfortable.” Still the art may well lead to discussions, and as revealed by another informant, also an art advisor, some corporations encourage discourses about their art among the employees through e-mails and publications, which may be a way to get feedback on how employees experience the art, and whether some are offended or not. However, in respect of the educational aspect of the Telenor collection, both employees and visitors get information about the collection through exhibitions and guided tours, for instance groups and school classes. There is also an information plaque beside each artwork, with a presentation of the artist and the current artwork. In addition, Telenor provides information on the art collection on the Internet, and in various publications.

According to Telenor, the art collection is integrated in the corporation’s visual profile, and the international recognized art shall contribute to strengthen the corporate identity and its visual communication to the surroundings. Telenor also reveal a belief in how the art collection can contribute to both inter-personal and inter-cultural communication, an ability that is often ascribed to art, particularly by art teachers, as mentioned in chapter 1.1.4. As pronounced by Telenor:

Artistic expressions and imagery are gaining an increasingly strong position in the communication between people and between cultures.

The Telenor Art Collection forms an integral part of the Telenor group’s visual profile.²²⁰

The art collection of Telenor shall also signalize that the corporation is

innovative and creative; qualities that are considered as an advantage in respect of business partners and customers, as well as in the recruitment of new employees. As described by Telenor;

219 http://www.telenor.com/en/about-us/culture-and-art/art-at-work/print/y (02.14.2011)

220 Telenor Art Collection – guidelines, January 2008

Telenor’s art collection shall communicate innovation and creativity as well as support Telenor’s core values, with particular emphasis on: be inspiring…The art collection shall reflect the times in which we live, be inspiring, challenging and forward-looking.²²¹

As described in chapter 3.1.3.2, an art collection integrated in a corporate building can also improve the status of rental offices, as in the case of Telenor, where a considerable part of the headquarters facilities today is let out to other firms. To contribute to a strong profile, Telenor also lends out art to professional museums and galleries, as this increase the value of the collection. The collection is lead by the Board of the collection, who must approve every important decision about the collection, such as lending art to museums. The board consists of representatives from the facility management, the communication department, other departments and the corporation’s art curator, and reports to the President and CEO of Telenor.

Telenor has developed cultural concepts within music and visual art for Scandinavia, Europe and Asia, under the label “The Telenor Culture

Programme”, and as stated on their website; “We do not just sponsor culture, we create culture”.²²² Since 1995 the corporation has awarded outstanding

performances within the arts, such as music, film, theatre, literature and visual art, with “The Telenor International Culture prize”, and 250,000 Norwegian crones, or 50,000 USD. In 2010 the prize was won by the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, and in 2009 by the Norwegian actress Liv Ullman. From 1995 three visual artists have been awarded, including a photographer.²²³

3.2.2.2 Statoil

A major objective of the art collection of Statoil is that the collection shall contribute to improve the work environment for the employees. As described by to my informant, the art shall stimulate the employees through a beautiful and pleasant work environment. The art collection shall be a source of reflection, inspiration and creativity, and as pronounced by the Human Relation Manager (HRM) of Statoil, Jens R. Jenssen;

We are building our collection because we believe in art, and the appreciation of art, is a natural part of a good life and a good working

221 Telenor Art Collection – guidelines, January 2008

222 http://www.telenor.com/en/about-us/culture-and-art/culture-programme/print/y (02.14.2011)

223 http://www.telenor.com/en/about-us/awards-and-recognitions/print/y (02.14.2011)

environment – a source of reflection, inspiration, pleasure and creativity.

(Jenssen and Våga 2008)²²⁴

The art collection is expected to unite feelings and rationality, contribute to learning and development and at the same time; having fun. As pronounced by Jens R. Jenssen; “Art connect feelings and rationality in a way that give us unique opportunities of learning; development, amusement and creativity.”²²⁵ According to my informant, the employees enjoy the art collection. Some employees experiences are also presented on the corporation’s websites, describing how employees experiences the art; “Each time petroleum engineer Berit Moltu passes Per Kleiva’s Midsummer night in the office corridor in Stavanger, Norway, she gets an energy boost”.²²⁶ She describes why she likes that particular artwork as following;

Because it’s one I’am confronted with every day…and I smile when I pass it in the morning on my way to work…To me, the fence represents the distinction people tend to make between “them” and “us”…In our new more open modes of work, we cut across such dividing lines. That requires us to break down the fences which enclose us…I am also fascinated by the aesthetic quality of the picture. I think it’s Kleiva’s clean lines which attract me…It also has a touch of western Norway and since I am from this region myself, it’s my “personal” landscape.²²⁷

She also reveals that; “I think art can contribute significantly to job satisfaction, and that our art collection helps to improve the work environment”, and additionally; “Art can create pride and be an identity-builder in the

workplace”.²²⁸ There is no doubt that art can create positive feelings, but we should also have in mind how art is experienced does, in accordance to

Bourdieus findings, also rely on peoples education and social position, (Bourdieu 1995) which is also shown in my Master Thesis on corporate art in Norway.

(Hagen 1999) In this case the employee is an engineer, which implies a high education.

As described by my informant, Statoil has increased its emphasize on the educational aspect of art, and considers the art collection as a source of development and learning. The collection is built on these four pillars; to

224 Page 11

225 http://www.statoilhydro.com/no/aboutstatoilhydro/sponsorships/artprogramme/pages/art.aspx (08.26.2008) (My translation)

226 http://www.statoil.com/no/About/ArtProgramme/Passions/Pages/MyChoiseBeritMoltu.aspx (01.15.2010)

227 http://www.statoil.com/no/About/ArtProgramme/Passions/Pages/MyChoiseBeritMoltu.aspx (01.15.2010)

228 http://www.statoil.com/no/About/ArtProgramme/Passions/Pages/MyChoiseBeritMoltu.aspx (01.15.2010)

educate, impart knowledge, exhibit art and awarding art through the art award founded in 2007. As described by Statoil, the leaning concept of the art collection consists of “art walks”; regular guided tours for employees and others, “art talks”; learning sessions integrated in art exhibitions, “art spotlight”; particular learning events connected to particular issues of contemporary art and “art impulse”, which is an integrated part of the corporations internal leadership programs and other internal learning programs.²²⁹ The educational aspect of the art collection has been reinforced during the last years, an initiative that is supported by the employees, who ask for more lectures and courses, and for a better access to the art collection.

As described by my informant, an important objective of the art collection is also to strengthen the identity of the corporation, and to show that the corporation is modern and innovative, and a pleasant place to work. As told by the HR Manager Jens R. Jenssen;

The art programme is one of the tools that contribute to defining our corporate identity with our values as the framework. We work systematically to form and develop a performance-oriented corporate culture based on our core values; courageous, open, hands on and caring. For us, it is therefore natural to acquire and display art that send signals about innovation, experimentation, diversity, openness and respect. (Jenssen and Våga 2008)²³⁰

The collection shall also make Statoil appear “as a corporation that owns art”, and some of Statoil’s representation facilities outside of the headquarters are used as galleries to show art created by selected artists. To highlight the art collection, Statoil receives groups and school classes. The art has become a part of the

“spirit” of Statoil, and most visitors experience the art collection as exciting. By purchasing Norwegian and Nordic art, to display to foreign visitors and in the corporation’s branches abroad, Statoil is also an ambassador in promoting Norway and the Nordic culture globally, to other countries. But the collection is at a stage of further development, and at the moment Statoil is considering a more “brave” art acquisition, for instance by purchasing installation art. The decisions about purchasing art are made in close collaboration with the HR Manager, and the corporation is also considering whether they shall transform the collection into a foundation, and raise the budget for purchasing art.

229 http://www.statoil.com/no/about/artprogramme/elements/learning/learningandcommunication.aspx (01.15.2010)

230 Page 12

Corporate giving has been practically none existent in Norway up to the present, although sponsorship activity, such as sponsoring sports events and athletes is not new. But this is changing, as corporations more and more also support the arts, in a similar way that they support sports, through sponsorship. So far corporate art support in Norway is modest compared with other countries. Still, one way of supporting art as claimed by Statiol, is that they purchase

contemporary art, created by living artist, and particularly by young and

upcoming artists. Statoil has also established an annual music award and a visual art award of about half a million Norwegian kroner, or 100,000 USD, that is awarded to young and promising visual artists every second year.

3.2.3 US corporations

3.2.3.1 Oracle

It is claimed that Oracle has no art collection, and seemingly visual art is not emphasized in the headquarters, although architecture seems to be highly emphasized. Oracle focuses on and supports three main areas; education, protecting the environment and enriching the community, including medical research and healthcare. Seemingly, supporting art is not emphasized in the corporation’s description of their CSR activity.

3.2.3.2 HP

According to my HP informant, the corporation does not put so much effort in collecting art. The reason for this is, when the founders, William (Bill) Hewlett and Dave Packard started the company in 1939, it was important for them to keep the work environment as simple as possible, because they decided to focus on human values rather than material values. Obviously, at that time visual art was not regarded as to represent human values. Although there is little emphasis on art, the artworks have information labels on the wall. But the employees do not usually pay much attention to the art, and do not talk particularly about it. Still, as described by my informant: “It is nice to have images such as photography on the wall to look at, for instance during meetings”. While some employees are not interested in art, others are. As told by an employee;

I love art and fully believe it helps contribute to a room: the feeling, the atmosphere, and the mood. We are at work so much that even a softer color can help. I used to walk around the building a lot for my old job and I loved seeing the art on the walls (it also helped me know my way around the building).

Obviously some employees emphasize the creativity factor of art, although this is seemingly not considered to be an objective of the HP collection; “I believe art, photography, even listening to my music helps with my creativity.” Art is also considered to increase the home-feeling of the workplace; “We spend so much time here that it is things like art that make the building look more like “home”, and a nicer place to work – more comfortable, less corporate”. According to my informant, most of the employees at HP are not concerned about the art

collection as a factor for creating corporate identity. Still some are aware of the lack of concern about the public relation factor of art:

I think art plays a role in the sense that you want people to remember your identity, your company and your workplace… A lot of success for a company can be connected to its marketing methods and I see art at a company as one of those marketing tools…

From 1969 the main objective for HP is to perform good citizenship, but supporting art or art education is seemingly not emphasized in their CSR activities. As pronounced by HP, the corporation shall;

Meeting the obligations of good citizenship by making contribution to the community and to the institutions in our society which generate the environment in which we operate.²³¹

3.2.3.3 Chevron

The main objectives of the Chevron art collection are to create a pleasant work environment, and to reflect the diversity within the corporation. According to my informant, a central idea of the art collection is to show the diversity of the global branches, both in respect of where the branches are located, and as a gesture to the great amount of employees from different countries who are working in the headquarters. By displaying art from the countries where they operate, Chevron wants to show their inclusive policy, and make people from various parts of the world feel at home. This applies both to employees from different countries and to visitors from abroad. An educational aspect of the collection is that all the objects have information labels on the wall, describing where they come from, and the former function of the objects. Although not all Chevron employees are particularly interested in the art, my informant made an interesting observation about an artwork that was first disliked and was moved to another place in the

The main objectives of the Chevron art collection are to create a pleasant work environment, and to reflect the diversity within the corporation. According to my informant, a central idea of the art collection is to show the diversity of the global branches, both in respect of where the branches are located, and as a gesture to the great amount of employees from different countries who are working in the headquarters. By displaying art from the countries where they operate, Chevron wants to show their inclusive policy, and make people from various parts of the world feel at home. This applies both to employees from different countries and to visitors from abroad. An educational aspect of the collection is that all the objects have information labels on the wall, describing where they come from, and the former function of the objects. Although not all Chevron employees are particularly interested in the art, my informant made an interesting observation about an artwork that was first disliked and was moved to another place in the

In document Cultural similarities and diversities of corporate art and architecture in Norway, USA, Japan and France (sider 181-193)