Jordas hånd, sculpture in Sentrum, Norway
Jordas hånd is a large light gray stone sculpture shaped like an open hand with curled fingers, placed on a lawn in central Oslo. A slender tree trunk rises from a round hole in the palm, with dark soil around its base, while a nearby path leads toward a small rainbow-colored arch.
The work was created by Helene Breen Brudevoll and placed here in 2018. Its position in Sentrum connects it to the newer layer of public art that has appeared in Oslo's central green spaces in recent years.
The engraved words on the lower left of the stone mention a welcome brochure, linking the artwork to a children's project connected with the royal household. Young visitors often stop here to look at the small tree growing through the palm, turning the sculpture into a playful marker along a family walk.
The sculpture sits on an open lawn with a curved path nearby, so the ground is easy to move around and view from several angles. It works well as a quick pause during a walk through the park, and the grass offers places to sit while looking at the hand and the growing tree.
Look closely at the palm: the tree is not just a decoration but grows through a circular opening in the stone, so the sculpture changes with the seasons as the leaves appear and fall. The engraved phrase about a welcome brochure hints that this hand was designed to greet younger audiences rather than serve as a formal monument.
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