The Twist Museum and Bridge, Norway
The Twist, designed by award-winning architecture BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, opened to the public in September 2019 in Norway. The project was the winning entry in the competition by Kistefos Museum. The design responds to the unique environment and enhances the visitor experience of Kistefos, one of Europe’s most naturally beautiful places to enjoy contemporary art.
This 1.000 square meter building twists at the midway point as it crosses the Randselva river to connect the north and south side in Kistefos, Northern Europe’s largest sculpture park in Norway. Visitors roaming the park’s site-specific works by international artists, cross the Twist to complete the art tour. The Twist is part museum, part bridge, and part sculpture.
Visitors may access ‘The Twist’ from both ends of the building. From the south side of the river, visitors enter through a dramatic double height space with clear sightlines through the entire building to the north entrance. From the north end of the building, visitors arrive in a panoramic space with views of the surrounding landscape.
Due to the curved form of the glass windows, the variety of daylight entering the museum creates three distinctive galleries: a wide, naturally lit gallery with panoramic views on the north side; a tall, dark gallery with artificial lighting on the south side; and, in between, a sculptural space with a twisted sliver of roof light.
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