The artist Cecilia Ömalm submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes— Façade. Her work was titled Hello.

In Fisksätra, where one is always met with cordiality and curiosity, I wanted to create façade art that reflects this hospitality. Hello is a multifunctional work of illumination. It discloses parts of the physical building by projecting rooms that face the façade.  An actual wall, dark and impenetrable, is animated, so that activity inside the building can be envisioned. Controlled digitally, the work can be programmed to display all the colors of the rainbow. It is even visible in daylight whenever shadows fall over the façade. The 15 squares can change color, and can be turned off and on in sequences to create figures, patterns and letters.

I have designed my own font for Hello, with an alphabet that can display greetings, compliments and encouraging words in different languages. It addresses residents, visitors and passers-by alike. The idea is that both residents and visitors, by passing a motion sensor, can trigger the artwork to say or show something unexpected. In between, the colors shift slowly. In the future, Hello can be developed to move in time to music, acting as a stage for local musicians, or communicating with the whole world over the Internet. Interest for this can be found in the project Starting in Fisksätra, run by Morgan Karlsson of Folkets Hus.

Photo collage: Cecilia Ömalm

The artist Katarina Löfström submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes— Façade. Her work was titled Scales.

My goal was to devise a work of art to cover the top of the two facades by the footbridge. Thousands of glittering sequins will reflect the sunlight, creating an impression of water flowing toward the sky. There will be a fusion of sea, sky and buildings. The sequins will reflect both sunlight and streetlight, and so be visible both day and night. The wind moving the disks will also shape the impression of the artwork: at times serene, occasionally dramatic. Like watching waves on water.

The artwork will sparkle, creating beautiful and beguiling reflections and shadows. The sequins suggest solar scintillation. Or maybe fish scales. The work will act as a gateway to Fisksätra. It will be visible from afar and close up. A glamorous sun salutation from Fisksätra to neighboring Lännersta and Saltsjöbaden. The billowy texture of the artwork on the façades will be reminiscent of a horizon. More sequins can in the future be added to other façades to create a grander picture.

Made of plastic, the sequins are 4 cm in diameter and are mounted on sections that can be assembled into larger surfaces.

Photo collage: Katarina Löfström, 2017

Photo of sequins: from the Radiant Manufacturing home page

The artist Andreas Blom / Artistic Collective Livet submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes—Subway. The work was titled Noorsken.

Let us say you want to pass through the subway Noorsken. The light of the tunnel welcomes you even before you enter. And every time you do, you discover new things.

First, you may notice that there are lots of hearts. Hearts comprising patterns, four-leaf clovers and images. One day you might see an image you recall from a painting at a library. The next time a pattern from a curtain you recognize from somewhere. Or a contour from a statue you pass by every day. This subway will remain intact, looking as it does, for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, I want to fill its shape, through a framework of hearts, with life and stories from Fisksätra.

The tunnel that used to remain dark even in the middle of a summer’s day becomes, with this proposal, warm, bright and safe even in the middle of the night. It is beautifully interactive. Children enjoy playing as they move through it, and other pedestrians move in a slow hurry. On any given day, you might even realize that the colors that light up the inner walls die away as soon as you pass.

This is the nature of play. It engages every time you pass through.

Noorsken—our very own portmanteau. Its homonym means “Northern lights” in Swedish, while noor means “light” in Arabic, and sken “lights” in Swedish.

Photo collage: Andreas Blom / Artistic Collective Livet, 2017

Photo model: Jann Lipka

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The artists Inka & Niclas submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes—Subway. The work was titled Cavern.

We have decided to turn the tunnel into a cavern.

Having grown up in Fisksätra, I (Inka) have often noticed the natural flow of movement inside the tunnel. The majority of those who use the tunnel leave their homes in Fisksätra in the morning to take the train to work, to school, to the gym, to their boat in the marina, or to the adjoining islet for a stroll or a swim. They return home later in the afternoon or evening by the same route. We have illustrated this flow by giving the one entrance to the cavern the colors of sunrise, and the other the colors of sunset.

While photographing an actual cavern, we tried staining with light its walls in the hues of the sky around sunrise and sunset. Similarly, we would use the colors of sunrise and sunset in illuminating this cavern. Entering it in the morning, you would be heading toward the energizing light of sunrise, even on days when the weather is gray and dismal. Later, when returning home, you would be heading toward the tones of sunset.

Many people experience a sense of harmony when they witness a beautiful sunset. We wanted to turn the cavern into a secure place; therefore, in this project we have worked with the idea of using the colors of sunset to bring peace and tranquility to a previously murky space.

We’ll be seeing you in the cavern!

Warm regards,

Inka & Niclas

Photo collage: Inka & Niclas, 2017
Photo model and stones: Jann Lipka

The artist Tina Frausin submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes—Footbridge. She titled the work Crocheted Bridge.

My design proposal for the footbridge is inspired by yarn bombing. Above the railway tracks are protectors from the high-voltage lines, the first thing you see when the train rolls into Fisksätra. I decided to replace these with patterned Plexiglas. At night the Plexiglas shines faintly, allowing the patterns to emerge as a silhouette. The identical patterns are painted on the bridge pylons. The pylons will be illuminated at night by a ring of lamps fastened just beneath the walkway.

The first pattern I encountered in Fisksätra Center was like lace. It was in a shop right near the entrance to the area. Textile patterns and techniques can add hominess to a space, both indoors and outdoors. Inspired by this discovery, I have chosen crocheted lace as a model for the pattern on the protectors and pylons.

For color, I have borrowed from the fabric covering the chairs in the church. By selecting a color from the Fisksätra Pattern Archive, my aim was to associate to the public art on display here. The bridge then would become a link to the church, which acts as a hub in Fisksätra Center.

Material:
Plexiglas 10 mm of the type used for noise barriers.
LED lighting.
The pattern is cut from decal film for outdoor use, also used for sound barriers.
Acrylic paint for concrete.

Photo collage: Tina Frausin, 2017
Photo model: Jann Lipka

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The artist Anders Örnberg, in collaboration with Mikael Frithiof, Karl Beckström and Erik Brattlöf, submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes—Footbridge. The work was titled The Gateway to Fisksätra.

The Gateway to Fisksätra… day or night! The present pedestrian and cyclist bridge in Fisksätra is a brutal piece of concrete engineering with just one function: to allow passage over the road and train tracks.

Color, Light and Sound

The Gateway to Fisksätra, a footbridge, will be a pleasant experience for the thousands who walk across it every day. We will paint the bridge and illuminate it after dark in various colors. In the future, The Gateway to Fisksätra will gladden not only pedestrians, but traffic commuters, both day and night. Welcome, one and all!

Patterns and Colors

Patterns and characters from different cultures can resemble one another. Calligraphy and heraldry, Arab and South American forms. In Muslim and Christian art.  Runes and other Old Nordic characters. Black soot and red earth have been used since the dawn of humanity.

Red, green, blue, yellow… what colors, which tones, should be used for the bridge? Here the choice falls on the red of the red earth, which in various ways is universal to all cultures.

Light and Illumination

Lamps and light fixtures with hundreds of colors can be designed and programmed, in an infinite number of lighting scenarios. There might be an array of colored lights and nuances, or simple color categories, such as red, blue, violet, green or white. The proposal includes a lighting plan, or staining, of the bridge; and for the orchestra a play of lights with a wide variety of colors, to which can be added effects.

The orchestra—sound and light performance

A play sculpture with various instruments and speaking trumpets, which opens up for both planned and spontaneous performances.

Photo collage: Anders Örnberg, 2017
Photo model: Jann Lipka

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Overview

The artists Lehna Edwall and Susanne Rolf submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes—Fountain. The work was titled Our Sun.

Our Sun—a place where the sun always shines.

Everyone loves the sun, but the fountain in the square is shaded by the church for nearly the entire day. Our fountain is always bathed in sunlight, both day and night. Which is why we call the fountain Our Sun.

By positioning a mirror on the roof opposite the church, reflected sunlight is spread across the square and on the fountain. The mirror is governed by the passage of the sun during the course of the day every day of the year. The fountain consists of a circle that forms a roof in the middle of the basin. Water runs over the edge of the roof, forming the curtain of a waterfall, and the flows out towards the fountain’s edges. Openings in the waterfall allow you to step into it without getting wet. In the basin there are a number of cubes to sit on and jump between. The entire fountain is surrounded by steps that can be used to sit or recline on. The idea is that the fountain area would be a place to gather, relax and play.

When darkness falls, sunlight gives way to the lamps illuminating the flow of water in the fountain. The water reflects the light, which changes during the course of the day and in accordance with the seasons. The color of the light will have warm tones, like the rays of the sun.

Photo collage: Lehna Edwall and Susanne Rolf, 2017
Photo model: Jann Lipka

More info Arabic / Spanish / Swedish

The artists Annika Oskarsson and Thomas Nordström submitted a commission proposal for Fisksätra Vibes—Fountain. The work was titled Aqua vegetatio.

Our inspiration comes from Fisksätra’s proximity to nature, forest and water, as well as from the community society Grow with the Sun and their “wild” cultures consisting of a variety of berry bushes and flowers.

Plan

Ten sculptures/plants are cultivated in a plant bed. All the plants are unique, each having its own shapes and patterns. They spout water and are filled with light in the evening.

Application

The fountain floor is placed high in order that it not be felt as merely an empty basin in the winter. The water level is not deep enough to pose a safety risk.

Material

The fountain floor is made of terrazzo, stained concrete with stones of various shades. The concrete edge is rounded smooth. The sculptures are made of stainless steel.

Lights and Season

Just as in nature, the fountain will have its seasonal characteristics and qualities. In summer, the splash and gurgle of water will give life and atmosphere to the square. The water flow can be programmed to be more restful in the evening and at night.

The illumination works year-round and is effective even without water. Snow, when combined with light, will provide a further dimension of beauty.

Light has a living expressivity. Each sculpture or plant gradually shifts its color shades and intensities.

Photo collage: Annika Oskarsson and Thomas Nordström, 2017
Photo model and details: Jann Lipka

The artist duo WiklundWiklund have worked in Fisksätra for ten years. Their project, the Fisksätra Pattern Archive, has generated countless articulations, collaborations and works of art. The Pattern Archive permeates Fisksätra, from the street signs on building façades to the textiles in the church, and more.

The most recent shaping of Fisksätra Square was inaugurated on 11 November 2017: Jan’s Place.

In the square, at Jan’s Place, WiklundWiklund have hung a sign from a post, with a lamp and weather vane. It serves as meeting point, a kind of memorial.

As part of the fieldwork in Fisksätra, the Fisksätra Museum in 2017 produced Video and Patterns, a series of workshops, at a housing unit for unaccompanied refugees.

Cristina Schippa and Joanna Ekström, the artistic supervisors of the project, worked alongside a youth group (aged 16 to 18) in producing a series of short films to be presented by a VJ, involving the live editing and employment of various geometric and kaleidoscopic effects for making abstract images and patterns.

The goal was to create visual expressions, based on the site, that revolve around a theme or sentiment, using patterns as a technique. The patterns were designed through the collection of tiny fragments of images or memories of the site; the framework of themes would include:

“an image I like”
“an image I feel at home with”
“something that cheers me up”
“a place I like”
“a memory”

Working with this group was particularly worthwhile for the youths, which gave them a comprehensive introduction to how to work with long-term artistic processes. Likewise, it has provided the artistic supervisors at Fisksätra Museum new tools for similar projects involving recent refugees.

Reflect—Fisksätra Stories by Lena Lagerlöf was an artwork in two parts, of which the first was a kind of performance, a walking tour of Fisksätra with fashioned elements. The walk had six stops. At each is fashioned a story which builds upon the residents’ own experiences of that particular place. The 45-minute tour was conducted on four occasions. On each occasion, the conversations that arise between the walkers were documented as they move between the stops. Each walking tour ended with a cup of coffee for everyone.

Part Two of the work was a podwalk, during which the narratives were shaped into a more intimate form.  The stories were connected to the site through GPS. Between the stops on the walk, pieces of the walkers’ conversations during the performance were edited in. In this way, the stories were bounced back and new layers were added. The podwalk thus become the part of the work that endured and can be reheard again and again.

With its two parts, the work aimed to reflect on the relationship of the residents to Fisksätra. Part One, the walk, seeked to open up the spaces and create a layer-on-layer effect from the stories. Essentially, sharing in another person’s experience of a place seems to affect your own experience of that place. And stories often trigger the associations and reflections the artist wanted to gather in the passages between stops. Part Two, the podwalk, seeked to enhance and broaden the stories, in part through a more intimate format, in part through the addition of reflections and conversation arising during the walks.

Walks were arranged in November 2017, and more are scheduled for April 2018. The podwalk will be launched in June 2018.