“Baltic Sea – Floating Trunks”

 

The 2014 European capitals of culture Umeå and Riga are enriched with an international artwork. Artist duo Simka connects young people from Riga, Umeå and Pori with established art in the creation of a work of art to the Cultural Capitals Umeå and Riga, as well as for the Pori Art Museum, Pori.

Key components of the project is the exchange of experiences and expectations along with following up and to work together within an artistic process. The trees are processed and sculpted in workshop format led by the artists. After the workshop the artwork will be launched on the river, where they form a large floating grove of trees. The tree installation will in Riga på placed on the water by NOASS.

Floating living trees located on lifebuoys out on the river. The installation is centrally located in each of the three cities. It gives an organic impression that evokes thoughts of man, the water and the trees strength, value, earlier as now, here joined in an unexpected way. The natural elements challenge with and against each other. Lifebuoys (frälsarkransarna sv./ eng. salvationrings) are associated with humans and the maritime dimension in travel and escape.

Baltic Sea – Floating Trunks wants with the cooperation around the artwork to unite local forces – the trees, the water and the residents in a larger perspective of the Baltic Sea and its cultural community. Seeing the Baltic Sea as a common elastic, floating continent. That both unites and divides.

When the trees are brought up on land after the summer, they’ll be placed into a city park to take root. This provides a long term aspect of the artwork: offering the co-creators an obvious place and part of the city.

Moreover, a final seminar and an anthology of the project gives opportunity to gather and develop the collected experience for future communications.

From an international perspective, through the partner River Stories/ Umeå2014, also manifests the northern and Sami culture with an enriching diversity. Baltic Sea- Floating trunks becomes with its location a link between the river and the sea which leads on to an international context.