Platsen vi kallade vår / The place we call ours (2024)
sketchproposal
Strängnäs Kommun
480 x 283 x 10 cmLight box with two of photographs printed on glass in one white lasered birch frame.
I was invited by art project manager Björn Norberg to submit a sketch proposal for the direct commission of an artwork for the main entrance of Larslunda Sports Hall in Strängnäs. Early in the process, the idea emerged to combine text and image in a wall-based piece. Through a photographic scene, I wanted the image to function like a shared supporter’s scarf – a hymn that includes athletes, spectators, and the many sports practiced at the site, across all levels.
In my proposal, I developed a concept that celebrates community-based sports and reinforces the role of the sports hall as a place for togetherness through activity, play, and movement. I aimed to create a work that allows people from various backgrounds – both within and beyond the world of sports – to feel seen, while also highlighting the sense of unity that is always present in sports, regardless of season, weather, or world events.
The large-scale photographic work was intended to be printed on glass and installed in a lightbox, framed by a large, inviting wooden frame. This would allow the piece to be experienced both up close by those entering the building and from outside during evening hours – in line with the municipality’s vision of a sports facility that remains accessible around the clock. The lightbox would also help illuminate the area throughout the day and night. The photograph has a familiar character and aims to elevate the role of local sports associations. The site – with remnants from the medieval period – is being developed into a new sports district that brings together people from across the region. Therefore, I chose to create a visual identity inspired by the traditional home of sports: the clubhouse. The red-painted façade with windows symbolizes the accessibility and core values of the community – a collective openness. The centrally placed window in the image shows a motif from the surrounding landscape of Strängnäs, further anchoring the work in its location.
To realize this concept, I constructed a full-scale clubhouse as a scenographic set. This allowed me to work with the photograph painterly and at the same scale as the final piece, and to approach its physical expression – especially since the sports hall was not yet completed. This also gave me a spatial understanding of how the artwork would be perceived by visitors.
From this physical scenography, I also developed a text that conveys the symbolic meaning of the clubhouse: as a place of closeness and a sense of home within the world of sports, but also as a reminder that we all play a role in helping each other grow and thrive – side by side – both at this site and in the landscape surrounding the Larslunda sports district.