ABOUT
WHERE STONES SLEEP AND BONES WHISPER
is an artistic research project initiated by Ann Edvartsen Hay reviving the lingering spectres of Knaben mines in Norway.
The material molybdenum was the target of the German occupation in of the mountain village, Knaben during World War II. Molybdenum was sought after for its propertied of adding flexibility and strength when fused with steel. To Germany, occupying Knaben mines was to accelerate the production, in order to have advantage through their military technology, such as artillery and tanks. To fuel the war machine, the production rate had been almost doubled through forced labour, as Knaben was the largest active molybdenum in Europe. The miners had received letters of employment of which they had no option to either leaving or bringing their families along.
The material molybdenum was the target of the German occupation in of the mountain village, Knaben during World War II. Molybdenum was sought after for its propertied of adding flexibility and strength when fused with steel. To Germany, occupying Knaben mines was to accelerate the production, in order to have advantage through their military technology, such as artillery and tanks. To fuel the war machine, the production rate had been almost doubled through forced labour, as Knaben was the largest active molybdenum in Europe. The miners had received letters of employment of which they had no option to either leaving or bringing their families along.
In March 3, 1943, the Allied decided to deploy 10 DH.98 Mosquito combat aircrafts to carpet bomb Knaben, mainly targeting the floatation building. Much of this information remains well buried in the national archives, where 16 Norwegian workers, 5 Soviet prisoners of war, and 1 German soldier had died. After the attack the prisoners were forced to clear out the five remaining timed bombs, in which one detonated. The events were seen as unethical, as the locals were not warned, the timed bombs were not supposed to be used, nor did they have a bomb shelter–which led them to seek shelter in the mines of which the entrance was destroyed. A total of 18 workers at Knaben were severly wounded. The Allied saw this as a victory, as they had anticipated this operation to halt the production for 11 months, but it was operational again within a few weeks. While seeing numbers are common while researching histories of war, in this project, highlighting lived personal narratives and their emotions related to the events, and their working conditions.
In more recent years, the mines in Knaben have been deemed too non-profitable to be of use and was last in production in 1973, as molybdenums economic value had been intertwined with its use in weapon technology, the need diminished when WWII ended in 1945. Molybdenum is now a commodified material commonly used in the production of stainless steel, industrial steel, including functioning as a machinery and ammunition lubricant.
WHERE STONES SLEEP AND BONES WHISPER emphasises on mediating past events of topics which are just as relevant to discuss today. The project looks at how science and technology during war spurs violence in relation to living bodies, material and the environment.