Rom for tru, von og kjærleik i Bredtveit fengsel?

Abstract

This chapter aims to explore a ritual practice which took place in a High Security prison for women in Oslo, known as «Bredtveit fengsel og forvaringsanstalt». The women who participated had been invited to light candles placed in a heart formation in the church room of the prison. This experience serves as a starting point for elaborating on theories of «multiplicity», «space» and «heterotopia». The article then reflects on what this event may have meant for the women who were in prison serving their sentences. Further, theories on «space» reveals that Bredtveit prison consists of many rooms, physically, mentally, bodily and symbolically speaking. Michel Foucault has pointed out that institutions like prisons are «other rooms», heterotopias, which are based on discipline and use of power. Expanding on these critical perspectives, the article asserts that the ritual of lighting candles in the church may be regarded as an act happening within the heterotopia, where new rooms for healing and a sense of freedom are opened. Finally, the article elaborates on how the theory of multiplicity and the use of symbols such as the candle-lit heart formation, could open spaces of faith, hope and love for each woman, regardless of religious affiliation and belief.