Gläntan/The Glade
2023
Public Art Commission. Pigmented concrete, terrazzo, marble (Rosa Aurora), brass, trees. Made in collaboration with New Order Arkitektur and Göteborg Konst.
THE DANCE FLOOR
The pink paving stones show the layout of the dance floor of the Touch nightclub on Esperantoplatsen in the 80s and 90s. The nightclub, situated in the same building as the non-profit Swedish Federation for LGBTQI rights, was bustling with visitors, and many social meetings and contacts were formed here over the years. The building also housed the organization’s café, bookstore and library, and was central to its efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.THE KITCHEN
The middle layer shows the layout of the kitchen in the feminist collective “Högst upp”, or “At the top”. The collective was housed in an apartment in Gothenburg from the 1970s until 2017. Known for its openness, the collective had women, lesbians, queer feminists and trans people as residents and visitors over the years. One of the bathrooms contained the collective’s notebooks, which became an open archive. The kitchen was the hub where parties, political meetings and other gatherings took place.THE BEDROOM
The top layer shows the bedroom of “Josefin”, whose home was one of several secret meeting places for gay men before homosexual acts were decriminalized in Sweden in 1944. The community at “Josefin” revolved around sharing experiences, desires, and stories, listening to music and dancing together. Several of those visiting “Josefin” had fluid gender identities and referred to each other by female-coded names.THE PILLOWS
On top of the uppermost layer are three pillows made of pink marble. The pillows are depictions of real pillows of contemporary LGBTQI+ people, a reminder of all the private lives and intimate desires that have been exposed and turned into politics in the fight for equal rights.GLÄNTAN—THE GLADE
The entire location is framed by trees which, as they grow, will enhance the intimacy of the glade. This mirrors the numerous parks and areas within the city that has provided alternative spaces to express desires.THE MOVEMENT
Across the ground is a dotted brass line that symbolizes the route of the march for equal rights during the 1981 Gothenburg Liberation Weekend. The line ends where it begins. The line signifies an understanding of time as both labyrinthine and circular—that the struggle doesn’t end.In the back: the building that previously housed the nightclub Touch and the non-profit Swedish Federation for LGBTQI rights, Photo: Lo Birgersson.