konstepidemin goes tradition

Annual Christmas market at Konstepidemin, starts tomorrow Saturday and goes on until Wednesday next week. Sneak peek:



Helen Dahlman, textile artist and organizer.



Helen's little rabbit.





Nina Zetterqvist, chandeliers.



Amalia Lindahl Kenamets "French kitchen" cutting boards





Anna Elisa Nilson bird cage and Per Agelii birds.



Kerstin Åsling's button necklaces (will post Kerstin's paperwork next week)



Lina Ekdahl and Pekka Söderberg, puzzle.



And finally my work. The bowls you've seen before, I did the light holders for the restaurant when they opened ten years ago and still make new ones now and then.

More photos next week.

I like seeing what the other artists are up to, it's an interesting mix of art, books, CDs, craft and tasty things from the restaurant. So far I haven't posted much about the other art forms, hope for a better 2008.

Inspiration for doing it yourself, Japanese print.
Wish you a nice weekend with lots of light!

getting in christmas mood

Two very different Christmas events. Liseberg, the amusement park in Göteborg is open for the season. The park was built for the World exhibition in 1923 and is quite charming, especially dressed in little lights.



And at Konstepidemin we prepare for our annual Christmas market that opens Saturday.

A list of craftspeople's Christmas open studios, fairs and special exhibitions all over Sweden at KHVC.

More light and amazing origami by Takayuki Senzaki, interview here. Found via Moco loco

closed and open doors

I have a thing for doors, as many of us. These doors are not opened much anymore, but tell a story of times in change up north.

No clay today, spent first half thinking I was to attend an Indesign class (which was postponed until Monday but I didn't know) and second half looking for a new used computer, more successfully.

It was a nice day at Bildverkstan, community digital facilities of all kinds for artists. Lots of helloes said. Medieverkstäderna in English and Swedish.


Serena Holm brooch: Sedna 2007. Porcelain doll, silver, plastic, paper, silk, glass, coral, pearl, parts of a clock-work 12 x 12 x 3,5 cm, detail. Photo from Klimt02 webpage

Serena Holm, jewellery artist here in Göteborg, has a very nice statement that goes so well with her pieces. She borrowed it from the theatre director's Christmas speech in the Ingmar Bergman film “Fanny and Alexander”:

“My only talent, if you can talk about talent in my case, is that I love this little world inside the thick walls of this house and I also love the people who work in this little world...
Outside there is the big world, and sometimes the little world manages to reflect the big world so we can understand it somewhat better, or we can give the people, who come here, a possibility to forget, for a short moment the difficult world out there.
Our theatre is a tiny..., a tiny space of order, exactness, carefullness and love.”

clearer sky

A day for catching up with things, both sky and mind gets more clear.

Some reflections on being in two places, thanks to Heather:
No, in my 50% office job and 50% studio work life it's not only a matter of left and right brain, it can be more schizophrenic than that...

I keep my office job (at KHVC, a craft promotion organisation) out of the blog, even if it can be interesting and give stuff to reflect over. Having two different professional identities can be confusing both for myself and for others. And I don't want to be mistaken to represent anyone else here.

It's very ego, I want to keep this "my space". Blogging strenghten the artist part in me and I'm very happy for that. I so easily slip into letting office part take more of my focus and enthusiasm. The work I do there is in many others interest and can seem so much more important than my playing around in the studio. I think I share this experience with many artists working in other jobs. Or?


Photos from Félicité L. webpage

Found Félicité L. fil métallique in the French craft magazine Ateliers d'Art.
She makes furniture, lighting and other inspiring wire art objects.

Makes me long for Christmas break and more time to make little things.

Bientot demain blog is dedicated to slow design and now added to favourites.

Per Agelii added one more football player on Lagbygge.

light in darkness

Christmas show by Konstepidemin artists also opened in the Blue House this weekend. Next Saturday, Dec 1, the Christmas market starts. Two of my garlands hang there now, as always it's nice to see what pieces really look like, outside the studio.



Ola Karlberg and Bronja Novak didn't match colours on purpose for coffee today, it just happened. They are two of the partners in Big Wind that in different constellations produce music, dance and theatre performances for adults and children.

Find out on their website what's going on, they are playing many places in the region.
English information on a couple of productions for younger people. On most pages it's possible to watch cuts from their funny and clever performances, click "filmsnutt".

Die Damen von Welt is a lovely dance performance by Bronja and Susanne Martin, Berlin. Click "filmsnutt" to see film cuts from the show.


Photo from Big Wind webpage, "Free air" children's play, photo Anders Jirås
More light in Winter darkness, found in French Atelier d’art magazine:
Le Fourmis Bleues, delicate lighting made of paper and polyetene and other materials with transparency. Film here.

Geraldine Gonzales light sculptures and vitrines, like fairytales.

Camilla commented, more Zekomkommer's photos on flickr.
Wish you a light and creative Monday!

per, jill, karin, kerstin, marie. and viggo

This weekend Per Agelii and Jill Lindström, both sculptors, and the two ceramic artists Kerstin Sarvimäki and Karin Östberg have open studios at Konstepidemin. Per on both Saturday and Sunday 12 - 16, the others only om Saturday.

Here is a preview of Per's place. He is one of my very next door neighbors. His machine tools are sometimes noisy and that's OK, but I love the sound of his hand tools clicking against the hard granite.





This building was, in the old hospital days, where the deceased were kept before the funerals. There are no restless spirits here, according to Per.

He is as full of ideas as his studio of sketchwork.



Every now and then Per gets to do molds of famous peoples handprints for a square here in Göteborg. These handprints are really something, from the only Swedish astronaut ever. These hands repaired a spaceship, weightless.





There are many animals in Per's studio; dogs (Viggo), birds, whales and others. He won a big sketch competition for a children's playground this week, the kids will get sea lions and other sea creatures.



Per is a football fan and builds a football team of sculptures "lagbygge". Not portraits or figures, but the different player's necessary symbolic qualities in stone images; defence, forwards and so on. Not so many realized yet, I've seen sketches of more to come and one day they will be eleven.

I don't have pictures or a good link to Jill's work, that is a pity. Maybe I can visit her some other time, she is an artists deeply engaged in teaching art, giving young people tools to grow.


Marie Sjölander, photo from Konstepidemin webpage

Two shows open on Saturday, in the main gallery Marie Sjölander, paintings (Camilla visited her studio a few days ago). I took a sneak peek today, to enter the gallery was like cleansing the mind, so contemplative.

Hnoss jewellery gallery shows Andi Gut, Schweitz/Switzerland.
Pictures here and at dingdrin.

Have a joyful weekend!

last mist

Last Örebro photos for this time, still misty. Today at job, I managed to keep the deadline for the printer, stress stress stress is over. Tomorrow I will celebrate with studio work. Yes!

Only link for today, zeekomkommer, it can keep me busy enough. I don't understand a word, but there are so many intriguing and inspiring photos to see. I'm sure I found it via someone, but I can't remember who to say thank you to. Thank you!

Be sure not to miss the paired images, click on the blue face. And go for the visual links.

Happy Thanksgiving, those of you who celebrate. I will celebrate a little, and think of my blessings.

unpacking

More of yesterday's mystic mist, Örebro was frosted.

Heather asked how I feel, with show completed. What a good question!

More like a nice beginning than a sad end. I didn't solo show work ouside the studio for a while. Since the date was set I focused on my work but also had a good reason to do all the other things around, presenting myself, revamp the webpage and get a fresh start. Starting this blog was also part of it. It all brought a lot of self reflection and some clarity.



Don't get much studio work done these days, work piling up at office job. Today I took a couple of hours to unpack and get sorted. Usually I try to keep continuity from day to day in the studio. Even if only for an hour one day, it keeps me in touch with what is going on, inspiration, flow. Clay work needs to be checked on, not getting to dry, nor being to wet. So much time and energy can be wasted.

I'm lucky, have job and studio only five minutes walk apart. It works best if I divide my 50/50 work day with the lunch break. The different works needs two totally different mind sets and I need some time to switch, probably from left to right part of the brain, and back. I like being in both states of mind, but staying there at the same time only makes me confused. I have always envied Christina, I wrote about last week. She seems to spend so much time in her right half of the brain, with such flow, and get so much energy out from it.

Marian Bijlenga is new to me, textlie artist, love her work.
Images
Article in Fiber Arts
Written weed
Work she did at ekwc

misty drive

Been a long day, drove back and forth to Örebro, to close my exhibition there and transport back. Misty and just a short but fine glimpse of sun. Here are photos from breaks by the road, Swedish plains. Driving back was really tiring; black, foggy and lots of traffic.

Added to the list of blogs I read:
Paris Parfait I like for the entertaining dives into art history through antiques, collections and flea markets, and for rich photos.

Frida's Notebook is a blog I had to start reading from the beginning. Human rights lawyer from New Zeeland, working in Kabul, Afghanistan. Gives perspective, is engaging and also humorous. A lot to read but also wonderful photos from a place seldom seen.

Elsa Agelii blogs (in Swedish) from Rajastan desert, where she now started an embroidery project with village women.

Everyday life

This is what artists at Konstepidemin do these days, help each other change to winter tires.


Photo of Legacies 2006 from Kari Steihaug webpage

Found textile artist Kari Steihaug via Marie-Louise Sundkvist. She "unknits" clothes and makes new meaning from them, sometimes whole landscapes. Right now she is part of the show Everyday life at Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum, Trondheim.

For a book project Archive; The Incomplete and Forlorn she collects unfinished, abandoned knit work. If someone wants to contribute an unfinished knitting project, she returns it after photographing if that is the wish, or else includes the yarn in a future installation, her address here.

And, as it happens, in the same Everyday Life exhibition is work by a clever and talented ceramic friend Jennifer Forsberg. Two other interesting Swedes in the show, Pontus Lindvall and Kjell Rylander.

For Elly Yap and who else wants to know; here are the underwater rugby rules. Maybe I would drown if I tried playing it nowadays, but it IS great fun, an exhausting and totally crazy sport.

Camilla Engman screen printed last week, lovely pictures.

tiles in England + Göteborg

Had a couple of photos left from London trip; tiled entrance to a bank building a bit east of Somerset House. England is a true tile paradise, for the craft, the geometry, the glazes, and the architectural scale of the tile works. Warms a potters heart.

Learn all about English tiles at TACS.

There is much more to see of Paul Scott's ceramics but here are some blue and white tiles of his, to start with.


Photo from Christina Roos webpage

Expressive, playfully painted and printed tiles by Christina Roos, Göteborg. Member of Sintra craft shop and gallery. Christina's ceramic history includes Norway and Canada, before she settled here. She does illustrations too, with the same temper.

Anybody in New York? You can see Holly, the engaging drama about child exploitation in Cambodia. Read more here. Buy tickets here.

Anybody wants to go to Berlin? Visit smosch.com, bitte!

Gudrun Åsling, textile artist and painter and Johan Lagergård, painter, keep open studio doors this weekend, Saturday and Sunday 12 - 16, at Konstepidemin, most welcome.


Book cover, Pippi Longstocking, photo from Swedish publisher Rabén & Sjögren

This week we celebrate that Astrid Lindgren, our most loved children's books writer, was born 100 years ago. She has written so many important stories and created my lifetime heroine, girl rebel Pippi Långstrump, world's strongest and full of wisdom. She (or Astrid, really) says "If you are very strong, you must also be very kind" and other smart things.

I am so content with my name, children in some countries mistake me for Pippi (even more being Swedish, they know she is from here) and thus immediately have a very positive opinion of my person.

Sing along with Pippi! And have a joyful weekend!

I've been tagged

I was tagged by Karin tonight and will follow the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well
as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Five facts? random? weird? Hm...

1. I played underwater rugby as a teenager (random and weird).

2. I once had my hand kissed by the maharajah of Jaipur on a pier in Henningsvaer, Lofoten, northern Norway (weird).

3. I haven't used pyjamas since I was a child, until a month ago when I bought a flannel pyjamas that is now my dearest piece of clothing and I wear it as much as I can (weird).

4. I like watching football(soccer) and get quite excited when there is an important game (like on Saturday when Sweden meets Spain and can qualify for the European Championships 2008). Loved being in Berlin summer of 2006 World Championships, football brings the world together! Applied for tickets to next summer's game in Switzerland and Austria, without luck. And I dream of 2010 World Championships in South Africa (neither weird or random).

5. I have only lived in two cities my whole life, first half in Luleå in the north and second half Göteborg on the west coast. Moving here (for studies) at first make me feel like an immigrant in my own country, social life and culture so different, but I soon loved it and find it hard to imagine another place for good (maybe weird) .

And next, who to tag?
I'll go for Cally, Smosch, Lylou, Elly Yap and Sofia.

svartöstan, old tracks

Walk with me and friend Annie in Svartöstan, a part of Luleå with it's very own atmosphere. Photos from Sunday a bit more than week ago. Not much changed since, maybe they have some snow now?



The workers at Järnverket, the steel mill, needed housing and that's why Svartöstan was built. Nowadays it's a stronghold for musicians, artists and intellectuals, and where most of my Luleå friends live. If one could move Svartöstan here I would live there too...



Annie's neighbor has this solution for letting the cat in and out, don't miss the construction inside.



Svartöstan is half my family history; this little house on my grandparent's yard is where my parents lived my first three years. The big house of my grandparents is torn down since long and replaced by a new, not as pretty. My grandfather and my father worked in the steel mill, as most of the crowd of uncles and male cousins who lived nearby.





I guess almost every industrial town has a part they are a bit ashamed of. For a long time the strategy from the land owner, a municipal company, was to leave the houses to rot, to avoid future commitments for the city.

In Svartöstan, originals and newcomers joined forces and changed the plans into preservation and development instead of destruction. Most wooden houses are restored now, a few remains to be taken care of and new houses are built. Citizens formed a society, Svartöstan is alive and kicking.

I'm so very proud to be born here. There is a certain mentality, same as when my grandparents lived here, a mix of solidarity, Independence and playfulness.



It's a kids paradise, things to explore everywhere and at the same time safety. When did you last see a kid build a tree house? I think this guy will be a professional architect, he had so many good ideas about function.



Graffiti painters stick to this one building by the beach and leave the rest untouched.

Street art project Outsides, my favourite Mr Horse.
Mailed the cat ladder photo to a collector blog Katt-trappa.