spatio-temporal thresholds

epilogue

shields — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:16:44 +0000

Our research trip to Sweden is now reaching its conclusion. Its been an wonderful experience – enlightening, productive, and enjoyable. In preparing the grant application and subsequent research prior to coming over here, I knew Sweden was rich in industrial artifacts as well as thoughtful modern design. My experiences here have proven that design is pervasive, and valued by society as a whole. As people value good design, so good design, at any scale, values people. From a utensil to a neighborhood, it is clear that the way people engage the object or the space was deeply considered. This understanding includes Sweden’s industrial artifacts, which are often solidly constructed, well-proportioned, and carefully detailed, beautiful objects but valued even more due to their importance as physical evidence of Sweden’s industrial and cultural heritage. Preserving this heritage and the integrity of the building’s character is of equal importance to the contemporary reinhabitation of the artifact, creating public space that engages visitors with each other and with their shared history.

For more detailed information and analysis on the 4 primary projects, please read my report, produced for the Swedish Institute.

södermalm

shields — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:16:00 +0000

Södermalm, our home for the three weeks that we’ve been in Stockholm, has been a great taste of true urban living. It is a large, densely-populated island just to the south of the island of Gamla Stan (Old Town). The highly traveled Slussen interchange connects the two via bridges for automobiles, trains, bikes and pedestrians, and a lock which separates lake Mälaren from the Baltic Sea. Slussen, a major hub for the tunnelbana system, is also a source of citybikes. Each morning we have been able to grab a citybike and ride all over the city, exploring various neighborhoods while seeking out post-industrial artifacts. Södermalm itself was once a working class neighborhood with a number of industrial facilities, including breweries and textile mills, along the north waterfront. Massive cliffs separate the industrial areas from the housing above, providing fantastic views back to the center of Stockholm.

djurgården

shields — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:25:22 +0000

This wooded island oasis in the middle of the thriving city of Stockholm is unlike anything I’ve seen in my travels in the US and abroad. Djurgården is almost entirely public green space, dotted on the west end of the island with museums, galleries, and an amusement park. It became a royal hunting ground in the late 16th century, but by the late 18th century had become a popular recreation area. The path along the canal on the north side of the island is a wonderful route for running and biking, a pastoral landscape in the big city.

tunnelbana

shields — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:31:48 +0000

Stockholm’s T-bana considers itself the longest art exhibition in the world: 90 of the 100 metro stations have been decorated with sculptures, paintings, mosaics, and/or installations. Many stations have left exposed the bedrock through which they were carved – in the Rinkeby station shown above, you can see that the bedrock has been painted a copper color, with gold mosaics referencing Viking runes. The art addresses various historical and cultural themes, and while most of the artwork is permanent, there are temporary exhibitions in some stations. Unfortunately several stations were closed due to construction so we weren’t able to view the artwork, but the many stations we were able to visit were quite fascinating.

millesgården

shields — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:39:32 +0000

20th century Swedish sculptor, Carl Milles, created a home, studios, and sculpture gardens on a cliff above lake Värtan on on the island of Lidingö, which he eventually donated to the Swedish people. Millesgården is replete with playful sculptures that at times seem to defy gravity. In 1999 a new modern art gallery adjacent to the historic gardens was built, engaging the original garden walls. According to the website, “Millesgården has become a cultural center for art through the ages, from 700 B.C. until today.” The art, architecture, and natural setting of Millesgården make it one of the more picturesque and serene public spaces in Stockholm.

stadshuset

shields — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:41:44 +0000

Stockholm’s City Hall is a preeminent example of National Romanticism, an iconic structure defining Kungsholmen’s waterfront. It was designed by Ragnar Östberg and completed in 1923. The intent of the design, following the tenets of National Romanticism, was to create an architectural work that would be identified with Swedish values while manifesting an idealized version of Swedish culture. To achieve this, Östberg drew upon nature, handicraft, and Renaissance forms and detailing. The massing, materiality, and courtyard form, mediating between interior and exterior, create beautiful and varied spatial conditions. The waterfront plaza is a tranquil public space, engaging the visitor with other islands visible across the water.

nordiska museet

shields — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:43:48 +0000

Nordiska Museet, Sweden’s largest museum of cultural history, contains both temporary and permanent exhibits on Swedish design, folk art, traditions, and indigenous culture (the Sami of northern Sweden). Visiting this museum was a great introduction to Swedish cultural traditions, particularly in the realm of art and design. Sweden has had a long history of thoughtful and innovative design which still permeates its culture: design is not only for the highly educated, for those trained in various design fields, but for everyone. It is a characteristic unique to this society, which I feel is unfortunately lacking in our own.

verket

shields — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:32:16 +0000

Avesta is a small industrial town in the Bergslagen region north of Stockholm. Bergslagen is known for the mining and processing of iron and copper ores, beginning as early as 1000 AD. Verket, the iron processing facility, was built along the Dalälven (Dal River) in the early 20th century. The rich texture and glassy blue color of the building are due to the clinker bricks used in its construction – clinker bricks are made of slag, a waste product from the blast furnace used to process iron ore. Verket now contains a variety of fascinating exhibitions, including a number of contemporary art exhibits each summer. The ironworks come alive through an interactive exhibit in which, using a flashlight, the visitor can activate a number of processes. These processes are abstractly represented, but through a powerful multi-sensory experience give the visitor a sense of the history of the ironworks. The Martin Furnace Opera engages the audience through sound and light, illustrating the production of iron ingots. According the Verket website,”The opera also mirrors life. The women, men, children, energy, joy and sadness are described with music, light, heat and film.”

nacka strand

shields — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:18:43 +0000

Nacka Strand is a formerly industrial waterfront in suburban Stockholm, southeast of the city center. The area has been redeveloped into a mixed use neighborhood, with a yachtclub and restaurants along the waterfront. Swedish sculptor Carl Milles’ “Gud Fader på himmelsbågen” (God the Father in Heaven arch) was originally designed in the 1950s to stand outside the UN in Manhattan – this project was never realized and instead built 40 years after Milles’ death on Nacka Strand. It is a graceful and iconic monument defining Nacka Strand, and providing views of downtown Stockholm and the archipelago.

sigtuna

shields — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:33:22 +0000

Sigtuna has been a thriving community on the shores of Lake Mälaren for over 1000 years. The history of the town is evident in its existing architecture, which ranges from 11th century church ruins and inscribed rune stones scattered across the landscape to a well-preserved 13th century church to the quaint 18th/19th century town center. The lake front is beautiful, a popular recreation area defining the south edge of town.