The Beauty of Boundaries

Snøhetta’s design, created upon the theme The Beauty of Boundaries – based on the ideas of Peter Richter – has been selected for Norway’s new banknotes.

Snøhetta and seven other designers were earlier this year invited to submit proposals for Norway’s new banknote design.

All designs will be exhibited in Oslo this month, and the winning proposals were announced by The Central Bank of Norway during the exhibition opening on October, 7.

The designs submitted by Snøhetta and The Metric System will each represent one side of the new banknotes - Snøhetta’s design will be the foundation for the backs, while The Metric System’s design will be the starting point for the fronts.

Snøhetta’s design is created upon the theme The Beauty of Boundaries, based on the ideas of the German physicist and chaos scientist Peter Richter.

“When contrasts come together, as when soft meets hard or digital meets analog, a dynamic is created. Our cubical pattern first of all represents pixels; our times visual language” they explain.

Snøhetta and The Metric System, Norway’s new banknotes

Secondly, it represents mosaic; surface décor put together by different materials of different colors which together create a picture. The cubical pattern constructs the coast, the horizon, and the motive; just as we humans construct our societies on the coast.

The organic pattern abstracts the sea. Seen in connection with the rational cubical pattern, it emphasizes the differences between the soft and the hard. Both patterns follow the Beaufort scale, as an expression of wind force, affecting the waves of the sea. On the 50 NOK note the wind is gentle, represented by short, cubical shapes and long, tame waves in the organic pattern. On the 1000 NOK note the wind is strong, expressed through sharp long shapes on the cubes and short waves.

The pattern and the abstracted motives create a horizon. The horizon is perhaps the most used dramaturgy for expressing border crossings. The nuances are tied together by the horizon and overlapping in the pattern. Just as Norway’s cost, the different banknotes are connected. Black and white photos has been chosen to enhance the colors of the cubical pattern, as well as to complement the Norwegian style and tone.