THE DISCOVERY
BRONZE SCULPTURE ON STONE PEDESTAL
Källparken in Uppsala
Public art commission for Uppsala Municipality
2018 - 2019
The sculpture The Discovery (Upptäckten) consists of two figures, one sitting on the shoulders of another. The location, where three walkways meet, is the inspiration for the design. Due to the three-way intersection, I wanted to create a sculpture that can be experienced from all directions. The size of the stone pedestal was limited, so I chose to work at altitude and make two creatures, placed on top of each other, as a totem pole.
In this way, through the twist on the creatures' bodies, arms and heads, I could make a sculpture that faces several different directions simultaneously. This also means that you meet the two the characters in different levels.
The creatures sit with their chest against Källparken and the old city center, but they look and point in different directions, one towards the new Gränbystaden, and the other towards Vaksala.
The idea with these creatures is to awaken the imagination of those who visit the place.
I want to give the viewer the opportunity create their own story about what is happening in the park. During the sketch period, as the sculpture took shape, the bushes surrounding the stone base became an important part of the work.
I wanted it to enhance the feeling of an adventure, as if the creatures have hiked through the bushes, climbed a mountain of vegetation and ascended to a high point, the pedestal. Maybe to get a better overview of the surroundings. The characters' slightly comical placement on each other arouses curiosity and questions.
What are the creatures doing? Where have they been and where are they going?
What do they have in store? What Have They Discovered?
I wanted to create a sense of jumping straight into an adventure. Making people in the neighborhood start to look at their surroundings with new eyes.
Creating a brief moment of interruption in everyday life, which may be over in a second, but that will be with you for the rest of the day.