Foreningen Utenfor allfarvei
Foreningen Utenfor allfarvei (The Association Off the Beaten Path) was a fictional association developed in collaboration with Benjamin Romm during our second year of our studies at AHO. FUA aimed towards transforming the journey on Norwegian roads into an enriched experience, woven with shared meaningful rituals rooted in culture, history, and nature.
The project earned a nomination by PWC for the 2022 AHO AWARDS in the category of Strategic Use of Design.
Three key exclusions embedded in the prevailing myth of vehicular transport on Norwegian roads created the context for Foreningen Utenfor allfarvei: 'the modern roads severing ties to historical dependency', 'their loss of aesthetic connection to the surroundings', and 'the increasing communicational distancing between individuals dependent on the road'. Foreningen Utenfor allfarvei purposefully addressed these exclusions, operating on both local and national scales, allowing users to both utilize and contribute to the service, developing it from bottom-up.
At the local level, rituals were collaboratively created in workshops before being manifested in tangible installations (pæle) along the road. Travelers or members passing by were invited to capture these rituals on paper as transcribed artifacts, completing them at their convenience. The rituals themselves would vary in significance, ranging from sentimental performance, like for instance paying homage to the families in the rural community of Hjartdal who experienced mass emigration in the nineteenth century, to abstract poetics, like expressing gratitude to the road itself by symbolically touching the pavement in thanks for safe passage.
In addition to the physical aspect of the association, we developed a comprehensive digital infrastructure, including a forum for users to share experiences, an informative webpage, a postal letter system for onboarding and early affiliation, two publications catering to both member sustainment and recruitment, videographic material, a design manual, and promotional materials such as stickers and forms.
Foreningen Utenfor allfarvei catered to those seeking a sense of connection to the people encountered along winding Norwegian roads, an appreciation for the mysteries of the mountains traversed, and an understanding of the history connecting them along the way. It brought a discursive approach into the quest for meaning in a modern, secular context, suggesting a detour towards an all-encompassing national affiliation.
