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The spectacular Salmon Eye opens to inspire, inform, and improve the future of aquaculture
Visually stunning, the Norwegian landmark is the world’s largest floating and walkable aquaculture art installation.
By JOHAN MAGNUSSON
18 Nov 2022

71% of the earth’s surface is covered with water, but only 2% of the world’s per capita food consumption originates from the sea. UN estimates that we are going to need 56% more food to feed 10 billion people by 2050. At the same time, land usage cannot increase, and carbon emissions have to be lowered by 67%. 

Located in Hardanger Fjord in southwest Norway, Salmon Eye is an offshore interactive exhibition area and art installation exploring the sustainable aquaculture industry. The project started in 2019, and after a long period of design work, the building process began in July 2021 and finished in August this year. Initiated by Eide Fjordbruk, the world’s first and, yet, only carbon-neutral salmon producer, it’s created as a symbol for, and a forum meant to inspire and inform the world on, sustainable seafood. The concept design was made by Kvorning Design in collaboration with Brigh Norway (now Creative Technologies). With a weight of 1,256 tonnes, and a diameter of 25 meters, the area is more than 1,000 m2 divided over four levels — one of which is under water.

Eide Fjordbruk aims to take visitors on a journey through design, interaction, dramaturgy, facts, terms, and experiences, adopting a global perspective on local challenges, solutions, and innovations. The mission for Salmon Eye is three-fold:

— Inspire a mind shift whereby the ocean is recognized as an important food source.
— Inform current and future generations about sustainable seafood practices.
— Improve, always raising the bar and setting the standard for the future of aquaculture.

For the inside of the structure, Kvadrat Acoustics has developed a custom solution, using 800 trapezoidal acoustic panels, called Soft Cells. These are upholstered with a bespoke gradient weave, made in Norway and moving from dark to light, from bottom to top of the building — to resemble a salmon eye.