In Gothenburg, work is now underway on the new Västlänken railway, which will span the entire city.
As part of the investment, a series of artworks will be added to the new stations.
The art venture is called Kronotopia and was developed in 2016 in a collaboration between, among others, the Norwegian Arts Council and Västtrafik.
- The vision is that the artistic creations should capture what Gothenburg is, where and can become in time and space, says Lena From, art project manager at the State Council for the Arts.
The previous project was scrapped
When Kronotopia was launched, artists had to submit sketches to a competition that would select the stations' artwork.
At station Korsvägen, the artist duo Goldin and Senneby's work "Evig anställning" was chosen.
By employing a person for life, whose sole job was to stamp in and out, the work would portray that return on capital is more profitable than working.
But the work encountered patrol.
- The Swedish Transport Administration assessed that the long-term financing of the plant could not be resolved, because it was against the capital provision regulation, says Lena From.
Despite that, From believes that the work is still alive:
- No one can take away the artists' power in the idea for the work.
"Perpetual employment" is such a powerful work that it will live and survive me, she says.
New competition announced
After "Evig anstållning" had to be scrapped, the Norwegian Arts Council has now announced a new competition.
But unlike the competition in 2017, they are now looking for artistry, and not ready-made ideas.
- Art is good in a public environment.
It can be a world to step into when you can't stand everyday life, when you're waiting for a train or want to face your own thoughts through an artistic work, says Lena From.