An art walk. From Multeum along Lake Mälaren. Outdoor art in the city of Strängnäs

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1 An art walk Outdoor art in the city of Strängnäs Follow the numbered trail on the map on page 8 to view various public artworks in central Strängnäs. The route takes in 15 works, including both older and more recent examples of public art on which to reflect. The walk starts and finishes at Multeum, Strängnäs s cultural centre, and crosses several parks and squares. It starts by heading along the marina to Norra Strandvägen, which meanders alongside Lake Mälaren to Bo Setterlind Park. From there, the alleys wind their way up to the Cathedral and on to Stora torget, the main square. The route then returns through the centre. Information on the various artworks is taken primarily from the art inventory carried out by Strängnäs municipality in 2008 and the art guide Konst i Strängnäs vägledning i det offentliga rummet [Art in Strängnäs a guide to the public space] (1998) by Daina Björklund. Art on foot The walking route is intended to take around an hour to complete. Whether you walk quickly or slowly, with someone else, in a group or on your own, encounters with different kinds of artworks await. On the lawn by Järntorget you will find two potbellies in bronze by May Lindholm. Just a stone s throw away is Olof Ahlberg s market fountain, which was the subject of heated artistic debate in the early 1930s. Local persona- From Multeum along Lake Mälaren lity Augusta Widebeck took part in the debate, but her contribution concerned not the design but the location of the fountain: among food stalls in the centre of Stora torget. A statue of Augusta Widebeck herself has stood in the park that bears her name since The statue is one element of a three-part artwork by Ulrika Florin, with code language and general accessibility the unifying theme.

2 4 / STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK 1. At Multeum, Norrstacksvägen 2. At Multeum, Eskilstunavägen 2 SPEAK AND LISTEN Åke Jönsson, Granite sculpture, 126 cm high SCHOOL-BOY ANNO Marita Norin, born 1943 Bronze sculpture, approx. 140 cm 1988 The sculpture Speak and Listen by Åke Jönsson was commissioned by Public Art Agency Sweden and donated to Strängnäs municipality by Claes Persson from Björsund. It was originally placed outside the former telephone and telegraph office in Strängnäs but since 2008 it has been sited outside Multeum. As the title suggests, the theme of the sculpture is communication. Marita Norin s sculpture School-boy anno 1650 stands outside Multeum. The statue of a grammar 17 th -century school boy was commissioned by Strängnäs municipality, and Marita Norin chose to depict a boy running, clasping his books under his arm, on his way to the library. The specialist foundry Bergmans Konstgjuteri in Stockholm took sand moulds from Marita Norin s plaster model and cast the figure in bronze.

3 STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK / 5 3. Lurudden THE HORNBLOWER Erik Sand, Bronze sculpture 1959 When Erik Sand, the artist behind The Hornblower, was born on the island of Tosterön off Strängnäs, there was no bridge joining the island to the mainland, so as a child he often landed by boat at Lurudden where the sculpture stands. The sculpture was cast by the specialist foundry Petterssons konstgjuteri in Stockholm, and the granite pillar that supports it was carved by stonemason Carl Johansson in Strängnäs. Here is a translation of the inscription on the stone, composed by the Finnish author Örnulf Tigerstedt, who lived in Strängnäs from 1946 to 1962: HERE ACROSS THE MÄLAREN SOUND CAME SWEDISH KINGS ON THEIR ROYAL TOUR HERE TRAVELLERS BLEW THE HORN TO SUMMON STRONG-ARMED FERRYMEN BEFORE THE BRIDGE WAS BUILT A WIDE-BOTTOMED FERRY CONVEYED PEOPLE AND ANIMALS, GOODS AND VEHICLES ACROSS THE BLUE WAVES.

4 6 / STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK 4. Norra Strandvägen Norra Strandvägen MURAL Rolf O. Eriksson, born m FLOATING, WITH VIEW 5 Uta Jacobs, born 1944 Granite 2011 The former roller mill Strängnäs Elektriska Valskvarn (1914) on Norra Strandvägen has now been converted into living accommodation. Rolf O. Eriksson s painting covers the entire south gable. The mural depicts the belt mechanism of the roller mill and simple principles of bread manufacture. The artist considered that the purer the colours, the better the bread. Floating, with view by Uta Jacobs comprises two granite sculptures produced from a large granite slab from Ävja. The one sculpture, which takes the form of a floating water lily leaf, is taken from within the other, which frames part of the landscape in a leaf-like aperture. Uta Jacobs won the competition to adorn the waterfront promenade in Strängnäs. The jury gave the following

5 STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK / 7 6. Norra Strandvägen MERMAID Arne Bothvidson, explanation for its choice of winning entry: The emblem of Södermanland and its reflection are depicted in a sculpture group that is gentle and elegant in expression. A functional and aesthetic meeting place in granite, which suits the location well and tolerates the abrupt changes in weather on the shores of Lake Mälaren. Cast iron, 115 cm high Year of creation unknown Arne Bothvidson made a template for Mermaid, which was then forged by a smith by the name of Holmberg. This is thought to have been done at the end of the 1950s or early 1960s. The sculpture was gifted to Strängnäs municipality. The work was financed by Strängnäs Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee with funding from the Anna and Axel Wåhlin Foundation.

6 STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK / 9 Art walk A map showing public outdoor art in Strängnäs 1. TALA OCH LYSSNA [SPEAK AND LISTEN] by Åke Jönsson p DJÄKNEN [SCHOOL-BOY ANNO 1650] by Marita Norin p LURBLÅSAREN [THE HORNBLOWER] by Erik Sand p MURAL by Rolf O. Eriksson p FLYTANDE MED UTSIKT [FLOATING, WITH VIEW] by Uta Jacobs p SJÖJUNGFRU [MERMAID] by Arne Bothvidson p TJOCKMAGAR [POTBELLIES] by May Lindholm p DIALOG [DIALOGUE] by Nils Bertil Malmberg p DE FYRA ÅRSTIDERNA [THE FOUR SEASONS] by Olof Ahlberg 10. FLICKA MED SNÄCKA [GIRL WITH SHELL] by unknown artist p.11 p AUGUSTA PÅ SPÅRET [AUGUSTA ON THE TRAIL] by Ulrika Florin p DIALOG [DIALOGUE] by Bo Englund p GLOBTRÄDET VAD BARN ÄR STOLTA ÖVER... by Theo Jansson p.14 [GLOBETREE WHAT CHILDREN ARE PROUD OF IN STRÄNGNÄS MUNICIPALITY ] 14. ETT SKEPP KOMMER LASTAT [A SHIP COMES LADEN] by Urban Engström p HÖNA UPPE PÅ HÖG PELARE by Urban Engström [HEN UP ON HIGH PILLAR] p.15

7 10 / STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK 7. Östra Strandvägen 8a. Bo Setterlind Park POTBELLIES May Lindholm, born 1964 Bronzes, approx. 50 cm high DIALOGUE, MEMORIAL STONE 8 Nils Bertil Malmberg, born 1952 Red granite, 150 cm high 1993 The potbellies stand partway up a slope overlooking the steamboat jetty. The association Mälaren runt - en konstodyssé [Around Lake Mälaren an art odyssey] rented the two bronze sculptures for the Sundby art park project in the early 2000s. Strängnäs municipality later bought them from the artist May Lindholm, who says: The potbellies are friendly beings, who mind their own business. They don t bite, and you can pat them. Close to the steamboat jetty is a memorial to the court poet and hymn writer Bo Setterlind, , who lived and worked in Strängnäs for much of his life. The memorial bears the text of hymn 303:1 from the Swedish Hymnal and was erected with funds raised by the Strängnäs Gille local history association. This is what Nils Bertil Malmberg has to say about his work: The memorial stone shall be of simple, calm, restful and dreaming granite. The

8 STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK / 11 8b. Bo Setterlind, photo: Ingemar Leckius 9a. Stora torget curve of the stone suggests both the Romanesque arched windows of the Cathedral and Bo Setterlind s profound dialogue with the church. The front, where the text is engraved, is convex and the back concave, so that the stone conveys a sense of a wave crashing into the beach. This is intended to symbolise Bo Setterlind s sense of longing and freedom. Translation of text on stone: THERE IS A WAY TO HEAVEN, A WAY TO GOD S JERUSALEM, THE WAY IS THE TRUE BELIEF IN JESUS CHRIST, GOD S OWN SON. THE FOUR SEASONS Olof Ahlberg, Market fountain in bronze 1932 When this market fountain by sculptor Olof Ahlberg was inaugurated, the square was a market place. Today, the space around the fountain is mainly used for parking. 9b. Stora torget 1933, photo: Alf Lindhe 9

9 12 / STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK 10. Uggla park 11. Augusta Widebeck Park GIRL WITH SHELL Unknown artist Bronze statue Year of creation unknown 10 AUGUSTA ON THE TRAIL 11 Ulrika Florin, born 1964 Concrete, laminated safety glass 2009 Girl with shell was donated to Strängnäs municipality by Gunnar Philipson in A year later, it was installed in Uggla Park. Uggla Park is named after Petter Uggla, who was secretary to the consistory (diocesan secretary) and owned the land in the 1600s. Hospitalsgatan, which runs alongside the park, marks the former course of the Mälaren shoreline. Ulrika Florin s three-part artwork showcases Augusta Widebeck, an ardent advocate of equal rights for men and women. At the turn of the last century, she ran one of Sweden s largest telegraph stations, situated in Strängnäs. A gateway leads in and out of Augusta Widebeck Park. LED lighting illuminates the gateway in the evenings. Lighting is also provided by lamps embedded in the lawns of the park, which create diagonal bands of words

10 STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK / Nygatan 10 written in Morse code. The alphabet in Morse code is provided on the gateway to help you decipher the message. In the park there is a statue of Augusta Widebeck on the march. Her life story is told in Braille on her clothes. Strängnäs Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee financed the work with funds from the Anna and Axel Wåhlin Foundation. DIALOGUE Bo Englund, born Patinated bronze sculpture, 3 m high 1994 Dialogue by Bo Englund unites a sprouting seed, a wing and the human body, which are recurring symbols in Englund s art. The two bronze figures stand outside the entrance to the municipal building and represent the dialogue between man, animals and nature.

11 14 / STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK 13. At Multeum, Eskilstunavägen At Multeum, Eskilstunavägen 2 GLOBETREE WHAT CHILDREN ARE PROUD OF IN STRÄNGNÄS MUNICIPALITY Theo Jansson, born 1951 Wood, metal and plastic, approx. 210 cm high A number of schools in Strängnäs municipality took part in the World Championship in Cooperation, a forum organised by the non-profit organisation Globträdet and the city of Stockholm, between 28 May and 6 June Children and adults from all over the world participated in dialogue about the future. A SHIP COMES LADEN Urban Engström, born 1955 Concrete and bronze, approx. 6 m long Urban Engström created an artwork for the Multeum cultural centre in three parts: a boat shape, a hen on a post and a telescope. The boat and the hen still stand outside the building but the telescope was regrettably stolen and, for practical reasons, has not been replaced. The boat is cast in concrete and is laden with inscriptions on concrete tablets, various architectural stylistic elements, keyboards for desktop PCs and other objects.

12 STRÄNGNÄS ART WALK / At Multeum, Norrstacksvägen HEN UP ON HIGH PILLAR Urban Engström, born Bronze and steel, 12 m high 2003 A gilded hen stands on a 12 metre high, hot-dip galvanised post behind a small sign with the text TANKE ÄR FORM [THOUGHT IS DESIGN]. Urban Engström used this device to enhance the observer s involvement, as with the telescope, which was trained on the hen. Strängnäs ART WALK, 2 nd edition Concept: Annika Busch Palm Text, photos and editing: Linda M. Richardson