Sculpture Biennale–Part 2

As I said in Part 1, some of the works in this year’s sculpture biennale are found in a residential district in town which is usually not much frequented by others than those who live and work there. It is one of the areas in town with a lot of immigrants. Although I’ve been in the neighbourhood sometimes, I have very rarely gone walking in among the high-rise apartment blocks before. Although within walking distance from the city center, this neighbourhood still feels like a suburb.

▲One of the new sculptures for the biennale is a white picket fence – something we normally associate with small one-family houses with their own garden here. (Untitled, by Sirous Namazi, born in Iran)

On the other hand: In among some other apartment blocks, I also found this picket fence surrounding an urban allotment site. (As far as I know, not considered a sculpture!)▼

In a park, I caught up with a guided biennale tour at this construction below – which is part of the sculpture biennale ▼

Flat Field Works (Middelheim Variant #1)

This artwork creates a space that resembles both private and public environments. The pavilion adds a new feature to the park that we can use for a moment’s rest or play, for reading a book, or as a stage. The artist often reflects on the social role of art and how artworks are experienced, both physically and psychologically. Andrea Zittel is best known for her living systems, a multifaceted exploration of what humans need for their survival.  (Text from a sign nearby)

I tagged along with the guided tour to a couple of more sculptures.

Another untitled piece by the same artist who made the white picket fence. The brochure says: “Shoes and trousers give no clues as to gender, age or ethnicity, so the missing figure remains anonymous. Thereby, we are all invited to identify with the work, and project our own story on it.” – Hmmm… (Suggestions?)

▲ More tall buildings, and in among those another sculpture, consisting of two opposite sets of stairs. ▼

These are said to resemble mosque pulpits, and by placing them opposite each other, the artist Mounira al Sohl (born in Libanon) wants to encourage dialogue rather than sermons. Every hour, there is also a song in Arabic played from the pulpits. So we all hung around for a while, awaiting that…

After that I parted from the guided group (because I was going home, and they were going back in the opposite direction). On my way, I passed by some older blocks of houses which I like for their variety of doorways:

And on the other side of the street from those, there is one my favourite murals from the street art festival two years ago:

The area of town we’ve been touring in this post is to the west of the railway. Crossing over the main bridge back to the east side, I took these views. Might as well show them “while we’re here”…

(looking north)

Having crossed the bridge and the railway station, if you turn left you will find your way to the city center. I, however, will be going in the opposite direction to get back home!

… 

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Friday My Town (Meeting Spot) and Skywatch Friday

Thursday – Good Fences

The gulls like this fence in the bird sanctuary lake!

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Sculpture Biennale 2016 (Part I)

Back to cooler and cloudy weather today, so I find it a good opportunity to post some photos from a walk from when we last had that kind of weather… (two and a half weeks ago)

Our 5th international sculpture biennale opened that weekend, and on the Saturday I went for a walk to look at some of those involved in this year’s exhibition – including both some “old” ones and some new ones. They have concentrated the event to three areas in town. Some of the sculptures are found around the main square, and some around the Textile Fashion Center; but there are also some in a residential area of Borås not usually much frequented by others than those who live and work there.

Giant silver spoon in front of the Court House in the main square. Artist: Åsa Maria Bengtsson. It brings to mind (for me at least, but it’s also mentioned in the brochure) an old saying about some people being “born with a silver spoon in their mouth” (while others, obviously, were not). I think you have the same saying in English, with the same connotations.

 

Popular with the kids! (and I like it, too)

Seen from this angle, it also reminds me a bit of cobra, though…

In the neighbourhood of the Textile Fashion Center, there are some “dropped clothes” lying around on a wooden deck by the river. As if someone had gone swimming… They’re not real clothes, though – they’re made of bronze. Artist: Jude Tallichet (USA). According to the brochure “we ourselves will have to give the clothes a body and identity and create our own story of what has happened”. (Personally I can’t help wondering how long it will take before someone sees it as a challenge to add to the story by throwing the clothes into the water, too. It has happened to bigger things than that in the past…)

There are also some bronze wallets (by the same artist) to be found around town. With those, they have taken care to place them inside shop windows rather than just leaving them on the street, though!

A pedestrian underpass I’ve never even noticed before, but which will no doubt be discovered by a lot of people this summer – as it is now part of the suggested walk to see more sculptures.

On the other side of the tunnel, there is a big empty field which used to be an industrial site. One of those places where you would not feel safe walking alone in the dark. But this summer, it has been turned into a new territory to explore.

Sarcophagus L by Matthias van Arkel

Made of industrial silicon rubber; and in the context of Borås being a textile city, (the brochure says:) “its bale-like shape readily suggests bundles of used clothing ready to be sent off for recycling”.

Nearby, there is also this piece, entitled Guardian Angel, by Ernst Billgren.

It’s the figure in the middle that is supposed to be the angel. Wings on the back and a raised sword in its hand. I have to admit I failed to quite see it while walking around it, though! (But maybe that’s the way it is with guardian angels…)

There is also something here which really is invisible, but which can still be “experienced” – which is what the three people in this photo are doing. Quoting from the brochure:

Very little remains of the factory buildings that once stood here, and through the ground we feel vibrations supplant themselves through our bodies. The place has direct links to the atomic clocks that govern Swedish national time and are controlled from Borås. Every second, a low-frequency pulse is transmitted through the ground. The work provokes questions of whether our need for exact time […] is reducing our own sense of time. No longer feeling the diurnal rhythm of the earth and our bodies.

I think this will be enough for one blog post.
We’ll walk on to the residential area another time.

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Weekend Reflections

Friday was another hot day here. Between breakfast and lunch, I went for a walk to another of the “lungs” of this city - the park with the bird sanctuary lake.

Looked like a buoy but I think it must have been a ball or perhaps balloon.

The ducks seemed to be having a lazy morning on land. There were almost only mallards and a few gulls to be seen on this day.

The lake is lined with yellow irises in bloom just now, very pretty.

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Azaleas, Rhododendron & Street Art

We’re having another heat wave this week, and it’s been (and still is!) too hot to spend much time at the computer.

It’s also really too hot just now to be out and about much in the afternoons; but on Monday I was, anyway. I decided to go and visit a park I don’t go to all that often (as it’s a bit out of the way for me), but which is worth some attention this time of year as they specialize in azaleas and rhododendrons. And with the heat increasing, it struck me I had probably better go ‘a.s.a.p’ if I was to catch those in their glory… 

It is a sight worth seeing, although not quite as idyllic as it might seem from photos – because even if the park is located up on a hill, it’s really quite close to heavy traffic below.

Coming down from the park, across the street there is the office of our local newspaper, which was one of the buildings to get its share of mural art last year:

In a street nearby, there is also this wall, which I think was painted the year before:

And opposite the painted wall of the newspaper building you also find this 9 meters high bronze sculpture by Jim Dine from 2008:

This sculpture – entitled ‘Walking to Borås’, but usually just referred to as Pinocchio –  was really the start of our international sculpture biennales and street art festivals in my town which have followed since then.

We’re having another sculpture biennale this summer and I have been round to look at some of the new additions, too – I just haven’t found the time/energy to blog those photos yet…

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