50-50 ÄLANDSBRO proposal for public sculpture
On the E4 motorway, north of Härnösand, there is quite a long 50 km/h stretch when passing the village of Älandsbro. Not much to see from the motorway, so it's stuck in many people's mind as quite a tedious bit of drive. Despite this impression, Älandsbro is a beautiful place if you just step a couple of hundred meters from there. When I was commissioned to come up with an idea for public art, this stretch of the E4 came to mind.
My proposal is a monumental sculpture that takes its' shape from a classic lollipop '50/50' that is half liquorice half raspberry. The 'candy part' consists of two convex mirrors and moves slowly with the wind. The work is inspired by the Claude glass, an instrument popular with tourists and landscape painters in the 18th and 19th century. William Gilpin, influential writer of guide books and essays that gave aesthetic framework of the picturesque, is said to have had one installed in his horse carriage through which he viewed the landscape of the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands. The High Coast of northern Sweden, where Älandsbro is located, has had a similar draw as these places due to the dramatic landscape. By placing large (3.5 meter in diameter) convex mirrors 12 meters high up in the air, a landmark is created that gives a new picturesque view of the sea and mountains. My proposal includes creating a legend around the work, building on mystical aspects of black mirrors (also used for scrying) that one can see one's future in the mirror if one looks closely.
The proposal was funded by regional arts funding and part of the project Visioner: Offentlig Konst i Västernorrland. It was presented at Härnösands Konsthall though a public talk and installation of a model. Thanks for the support and hospitality.
By warmest thanks also to:
Älandsbro Intresseförening for dialouge and support
Jacobssons Bygg AB for sponsoring a skylift and helping with photography
Emma Korsar for help with the digital model
My proposal is a monumental sculpture that takes its' shape from a classic lollipop '50/50' that is half liquorice half raspberry. The 'candy part' consists of two convex mirrors and moves slowly with the wind. The work is inspired by the Claude glass, an instrument popular with tourists and landscape painters in the 18th and 19th century. William Gilpin, influential writer of guide books and essays that gave aesthetic framework of the picturesque, is said to have had one installed in his horse carriage through which he viewed the landscape of the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands. The High Coast of northern Sweden, where Älandsbro is located, has had a similar draw as these places due to the dramatic landscape. By placing large (3.5 meter in diameter) convex mirrors 12 meters high up in the air, a landmark is created that gives a new picturesque view of the sea and mountains. My proposal includes creating a legend around the work, building on mystical aspects of black mirrors (also used for scrying) that one can see one's future in the mirror if one looks closely.
The proposal was funded by regional arts funding and part of the project Visioner: Offentlig Konst i Västernorrland. It was presented at Härnösands Konsthall though a public talk and installation of a model. Thanks for the support and hospitality.
By warmest thanks also to:
Älandsbro Intresseförening for dialouge and support
Jacobssons Bygg AB for sponsoring a skylift and helping with photography
Emma Korsar for help with the digital model
