The Oslo Tree

The tree stands in Trettenparken at Filipstad, just west of Tjuvholmen. In the model the foliage changes colour, just as the LEDs do on the real tree. In the daytime view you can see its shape, with the trunk and the round crown.

Beneath the tree, a woman is walking her dog. In the evening, a group of people in hats stand looking up at the lights.

The tree is at its best in the evening and at night, when the colours glow against the dark sky. Go down to ground level in the model to see the tree as you would from the park, with the lights above you.

The Oslo Tree is a light art installation, not a real tree. It was made for the Burning Man festival in the USA in 2017, bought by Stein Erik Hagen's company Canica and lit in Trettenparken on 1 December 2019. Canica lends it to the city and pays for its operation. Hagen himself calls it a “spellbinding art installation”.

The installation is 14 metres tall and 14 metres wide. Inside its 15,000 leaves are a total of 150,000 computer-controlled LEDs, which create patterns and effects. The light show is inspired by nature and changes with the seasons.

The tree is not on Tjuvholmen itself but close by, at Filipstad brygge. It makes a natural destination for an evening walk from Tjuvholmen. The tree is the result of a collaboration between several specialists in production and design.

• According to the Oslo Tree's own website, the installation is meant to challenge the boundaries between art, nature and technology.
• Stein Erik Hagen has said he hopes the tree will become “a meeting place to be enjoyed by people of all ages”.
• The Royal Yacht “Norge” has a permanent berth at Filipstad, right next to Tjuvholmen. The ship was built in England in 1937 and given to King Haakon VII as a gift from the Norwegian people in 1948.
• The Royal Yacht is 80 metres long, crewed by the Royal Norwegian Navy and used mostly in summer.
• Tjuvholmen is joined to Filipstad brygge by land, so you can walk to the tree without crossing any water.

The tree stands in Trettenparken at Filipstad, just west of Tjuvholmen. From Tjuvholmen, walk towards Filipstad brygge. The lights are best seen after dark. Updates about the tree are posted on the Instagram account @oslotreet.