Anne Beate Hovind commissions and produces art in public spaces. Currently, she is putting her energy and expertise in city planning of Oslo producing two internationally known artworks Future Library by Scottish artist Katie Paterson and Losæter/FlatbreadSociety by the art collective Futurefarmers. Over the past 20 years, she has worked at the interface of art, culture and business where she has gained a vast amount of experience in realizing complex and original projects. included developing public services, building a hospital, city planning, placemaking and passenger orientated development for airports. Anne Beate is a passionate urban developer who believes in transforming the city from the heart.

Future Libary, 2014 – 2114, by artist Katie Paterson
For 100 years, starting in 2014, a new author is selected annually to contribute an original work to the Future Library project. To date, 11 authors have participated, including Margaret Atwood, David Mitchell, Sjón, Elif Shafak, Han Kang, Karl Ove Knausgård, Ocean Vuong, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Judith Schalansky, Valeria Luiselli, and Tommy Orange. These works will remain unpublished and unread until the year 2114.

As part of the project, 1,000 trees were planted in Oslo’s Nordmarka forest. In 2114, these trees will be harvested to create the paper on which the collected works will be printed. Until then, the manuscripts are securely stored in a specially designed Silent Room within the Deichman Bjørvika public library. This room, constructed using timber from trees felled before the new seedlings were planted, is both a repository and a symbol of the Future Library’s vision.

Each year, the selected author participates in a Handover Ceremony, walking to the forest to deliver their manuscript to artist Katie Paterson and the Future Library Trust. Only the title of the submitted work is revealed. The City of Oslo has entered into a 100-year agreement with the Future Library Trust, ensuring that the forest will be protected and nurtured, and that the Silent Room will remain the dedicated home for the manuscripts until their eventual publication.