Nordmark

Some phone-shots from a recent road trip in the mining district north of my town. The area - Nordmark, north of Filipstad in Värmland - is an old cultural landscape with numerous landmarks from a faded golden era. 

The first mines were founded here in the 1600s, but not much remains to this day. We passed by many abandoned mining towers and deteriorated homes. The ruins are both beautiful and somewhat romantic - but everything about them is also incredibly sad. It is of course a logic progression in a globalized economy. This place is not useful anymore. But what about the people who get left behind? I get the feeling that some parts of the countryside is slowly sinking back into the great forests. We have an issue of segregation going on between the urban and the rural areas in Sweden. This is a theme that I keep coming back to in my art-making, and I think it needs to become even more prominent in future projects.

Going on undirected road trips in the countryside is one of my favourite pastimes, but the reason for this particular trip was that I had seen a Blocket-ad about a postman's bicycle! I bought it.  
No more wobbly bike rides to my studio on a jam-packed racer. This suits the purpose better. I happen to carry a lot of stuff around.

And lastly, talking of rides. This car. Spotted by the old ironworks. A proper raggarbil! Have you seen the movie Slim Susie? It could well be the same one.