The Cultural Landscape
Utvald Kulturlandskap
Leveld was in 2017 selected by the Norwegian Agriculture Agency as one of Norway’s 51 Selected Cultural Landscapes in Agriculture (UKL). A key criterion for selecting areas is that they, to the greatest extent possible, include agricultural landscapes with both very high biological and cultural-historical values shaped by long-term farming.
In the mountain village of Leveld, the landscape is characterized by strip-divided infields, numerous stone fences, and clearance cairns. Narrow strips of pasture run from the valley floor up to the summer mountain farms at 700–950 meters above sea level. Many farms in this small village produce milk and meat from cattle, sheep, and goats, based on grass production and grazing across extensive infield and outfield areas.
The farmsteads, many with protected buildings, are lined up along the village road ascending the valley side. The varied landscape and diverse land use have created rich and diverse vegetation. There are nutrient-rich springs and old pasturelands, and on the lime-poor dry meadows grow both alpine plants and more southern species such as flekkgrisøyre, ribwort plantain, mouse-ear hawkweed, sticky catchfly, alpine aster, alpine timothy, and alpine lady’s mantle. The area has high botanical value and a characteristic mix of southern species and alpine plants.
For the summer exhibition in 2023, The Smell of Pine Can Make Rain, artist Randi Nygård drew inspiration from Leveld’s status as a Selected Cultural Landscape—described on the UKL website as “a unique agricultural landscape with great biological and cultural-historical values, created by humans in interaction with nature over generations.”
Nygård’s work takes as its point of departure a range of observed and imagined interactions within this cultural landscape. These include the idea that the scent of pine can help form clouds; that cultivated flowers sometimes need to be pressed into the soil to receive enough light to germinate; that sheep and squirrels communicate with us; that living microorganisms can help hold clouds together; that bogs “breathe” water; that birds sing at frequencies too soft for human hearing; and that plants perceive the world as an interconnected whole.
She worked with root mounds that seem to embrace us, with flowers that soothe the eye, and with local rose-painting traditions. She also drew on the idea that in earlier times—when the world was perceived as more spiritual and animate—the words for “elf” and “nature spirit” were one and the same.
Nygård was struck by the fact that the scent humans most readily recognize is that of wet earth, and that when we measure minute changes in the Earth’s surface—down to just a few millimetres—we rely on signals originating far beyond our planet, likely from distant galaxies and even black holes.
In addition to installations, drawings, and collages, the exhibition features two distinct scents. One is inspired by the idea that pine can generate rain, while the other was created specifically for Leveld. In this scent, the cultural landscape is evoked through notes of earth, hay, grass, flowers, sheep, and pine.
The scents were developed in collaboration with artist Simon Daniel Tegnander Wenzel. The Smell of Pine Can Make Rain includes the very molecule released by pine trees into the air—one that can contribute to cloud formation. It also incorporates the scents of wet earth and rainfall, reinforcing the exhibition’s sensory connection to natural processes.
The exhibition was developed in collaboration with the Selected Cultural Landscapes programme (UKL). Along the path leading to the barn, visitors encountered a sign and a series of sticks bearing short texts by the artist, inspired by recent scientific insights into perception and interaction within the cultural landscape.
The project was supported by the Arts Council Norway.
Hikes
We encourage our guests to draw inspiration from the surrounding area and the mountains. Ål and Leveld have a varied and beautiful hiking terrain for both short and long hikes, in all seasons. In winter, there are over 100 km of prepared cross-country ski trails in Ål.
Hikes starting at Kunstnartunet:
Leveldrunden
From Kunstnartunet, walk 500 m north towards the road sign to Hemsedal. Follow this uphill until you reach Øvrevegen in Leveld. There you walk along new and old farmyards through the entire village, with views down to the Kunstnartunet. Along the road, several Bjørneboe quotes hang on barn walls, garage walls and on old houses. The route is nice for both walking and cycling.
Eivind Fredlaus
Follow the path next to the outhouse down to the river and over the bridge. Here there is a sign for Eivind Fredlaus' stone cave. Parts of the path are on the illuminated trail, which is great for both summer and winter.
Haugsnatten
Walk from Kunstnartunet south about 2 km to Leveld Church. Take the forest road across the river. There are several forest roads that are nice hiking trails. The hiking trail to Haugsnatten is signposted. Here there is a nice view over Leveld and into the mountains towards Reineskarvet, Brea and Blåbergo.
Mountain hikes:
Both summer and winter there is good hiking terrain in the high mountains near Leveld. The Stølsvegane are nice cycle paths and in winter there is a large network of groomed ski trails. To get up to the mountain you can either follow the road towards Hemsedal (see previous page) or take bus 336 to Bergsjø and start the trip there.
Fishing:
It is possible to fish in the river behind Leveld Kunstnartun and in other rivers and lakes with a fishing license. Information can be found here: https://www.visital.no/gjore-i-al/fiske/
Fishing permits can be purchased at several places in Ål, including at the Tourist Information Office and in sports shops. In some areas, fishing permits are sold from boxes in the terrain or on the way into the area.
For the Bergsjø area, there is a joint fishing permit that covers around 20 lakes and ponds.
Det er ellers mykje å finne om turar og aktivitetar i framlagde brosjyrar på Turistkontoret i Ål.
Hiking equipment:
Through BUA Ål you can borrow free hiking equipment such as skis, slalom equipment, tents and backpacks during your stay in Leveld.