Göteborg
Sverige
- Gothenburg, Sweden
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The City
Gothenburg is the second largest in Sweden and sits on the west coast in the rain and wind plagued region of Vastra Götland. Divided into a large number of small neighborhoods; each one like a miniature cultural-enclave situated within the city, it is quite easy to move from one distinct area to the next. Originally a working class hub, the city has retained its gritty, blue-collar feel while playing home to a number of universities which is a main source of the ebb and flow of people passing through.
The Context
The way I have experienced Göteborg is as a place of transition; from a stable job to a time of personal exploration (both artistically and culturally), acting as an environment of stimulation as well as being a silent background to my life.
Studying at HDK has meant that the majority of my time has been spent in the studio just next to ‘The Avenue’; I’m told perhaps one of the most un-Gothenburgian places of all. While my first inclination was to scoff and dig deeper, the truth is that it offers a quick glimpse into the mainstream society within this quirky city.
Leverbröd!
2009 11 07
Minyup told me that this market didn't feel like any other place in Göteborg. He was right. This guy was selling his bread and having fun joking around with the fruit vendor across the way. I was a bit intimidated, to say the least, by these new surroundings and didn't actually end up buying anything. It would also help if I started carrying more cash on me, although this might not be the place to do that.
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Opinion from a Swede
Gothenburg is quite a friendly city.
2009 10 22
At the party tonight to celebrate the end of our first project at HDK, I overheard my friend David telling Minyup about different parts of Sweden. Above is the summary of what he said about this city.
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Stop for a Chat
2009 12 22
Originally I wanted to take a photo of the abandoned street just in front of the NK shopping center, but this group insisted on standing right in my way. But, more importantly, take note of the shining LED screen behind the NK logo; it is the one of the only places in the city that I've been able to find this kind of blinding exhibition of light normally found in Asian cities.
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Räfven Crazy
Download Räfven Crazy as an mp3.
2009 10 18
My friend Staffan called me during the week to ask me if I wanted to go to a 'crazy' concert on Saturday. I, of course, accepted the offer while thinking to myself that any concert in Göteborg was likely to be a wild experience for me.
Later that night, on the way to the after party at his flat my only words were, "You didn't tell me it was going to be that crazy." The recording here is just an inkling of the outrageous party that was possibly the most glorious 45 minutes of singing, dancing, jumping, and living life that I have ever experienced. Räfven is fucking crazy.
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LOVE U GBG
2009 08 27
My first week in GBG has been quite strange. Being jet lagged is pretty rough, and eating yogurt and müsli for breakfast every morning doesn't seem like it is going to get any less boring. Fortunately, this morning I stumbled across this sweet, youthful engraving on the picnic table on the rooftop deck of my apartment building. Despite the cold, rainy, winter that I know is soon to come, this city manages to keep loyal friends.
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Tiger Feet
2009 12 23
Partially captured here, the coat of arms for the city is a beautiful lion wielding a sword while holding a shield with three crowns on it. You can find it on signs all over the city, including on the glass around the tram stops as seen here.
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Snow + Shiny Silver
2009 12 23
This woman obviously can't get enough shiny silver metallic accessories.
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Up, Up, and Away
2009 12 23
Sometimes I forgot how old this city is. But all it takes is a quick stroll into North Town or Haga for me to remember that some cities/countries have a history longer than the United States.
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What We Are
2009 10 20
This is a photo of my friend Minyup Lee, an exchange student here from Seoul, Korea. While the reasons that we have ended up in Sweden are completely different, what we are doing here is more or less the same — studying in the MA Design Programme @ HDK. Our first presentation was today, and is actually where I am debuting this SecondCities/ project.
While I can't be certain about anything, I am starting to feel more and more that exploring and learning about this place is going to somehow be at the core of the art + design that I produce while I am here. Maybe that isn't so strange, after all, as environment has always had a large affect on what I've done.
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Musiken Hus 25 år
2009 09 20
Despite the motley crew of art students, 30 somethings, senior citizens, and Majorna drunkards, the 25th year anniversary party at Musiken Hus was the best first concert experience I could have asked for here in GBG. It started with a long, winding bike ride through Slottskogen and ended with the feeling that I had danced and drunk my mind + body away – another first in Sweden.
One little note: walking into a venue with an entire table full of free food is something that I've never seen before. I'm hoping this is some kind of Swedish tradition.
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Vasttrafik Spårvagn
2009 12 22
A quick shot of a tram scooting by the Brunnsparken stop just in front of Nordstan/NK/Arkaden/Kompassen.
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Vancouver = San Francisco = Göteborg. +++
Today I was completely caught off guard when a new studio mate struck up a conversation with me about the relationship between Vancouver/Toronto, San Francisco/New York, Göteborg/Stockholm. Of course, I have become quite aware of the hardline division between these cities, but to have another person bring it up – unprompted I might add – brought quite a smile to my face. It would seem that I am not the only one that has taken notice of these symbiotic relationships.
2009 10 13
I just moved my desk and the conversation above was what I encountered within 10 minutes of having put down my bags. I'm finding that when I tell people that I am "most recently" from San Francisco it seems to garner this really positive reaction, like there is some kind of comradeship between perfect strangers who have lived in these cities, and thus shared some kind of collective experience. Hey, maybe I am being naive, but it just makes me happy that I'm here in Göteborg.
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Kviberg Market
2009 11 07
Being here was like being in another world, far, far away – in a good way! I didn't find anything to buy, but then again not having any cash on hand didn't make purchasing any easier.
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Kviberg Haircut
2009 11 07
You just don't see this anymore – an old school barber style haircut inside a bustling market on Saturday afternoon.
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Winter Shopping
2009 12 23
Despite the cold, nasty weather there seems to be no stopping the Gothenburgians from doing their holiday shopping. What is strange, however, is the fact that the block I was standing on was almost completely empty, but just 100m away people were standing shoulder to shoulder.
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Late Night Conversations
2009 12 22
Okay, so I admit that I'm not sure how deep this conversation was. In fact, I'm willing to bet that it was pretty boring, but I can't help but wonder what things people are saying to each other as they sit on the trams/busses late at night when they think no one is looking.
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Snow: On/Off (1/0)
2009 12 26
The snow keeps on coming and going, and rather quickly I might add. The result? Well, as you can see here someone had their baby stroller caught out in the most recent flash of flurries. I suppose this isn't all that unpredictable though, seeing as how the rain follows the same unpredictable patterns.
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Pigeon Culture in Göteborg
2009 10 20
What is it with the pigeons in this city? Not only do they constantly swarm around food left on outdoor tables, but they are vicious in their pecking order. You see here the small white pigeon about to be chased away by the fat gray one.
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Kviberg Gangster
2009 11 07
Charming or Scary? Either way, this little boy was more than happy to pose for the camera. Ah, how naive youth is.
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Henke @ HDK
Download Henke @ HDK as an mp3.
2009 10 24
My studio mate, Kurt gave an interesting presentation on the "Lost Land of Letterpress" at HDK – a real treat for me as a fellow American, bringing back memories of studying for my BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Surprisingly (to me, at least), Gothenburg doesn't have many facilities for letterpressing, and the ones that are around (are rumored) to be less than ideal.
To kick things off he had a musician, Henke, play a couple country tunes to bring a little bit of that Good 'Ole Tennessee vibe to into the heart Scandinavia, and, just for a second, I felt like I was experiencing my childhood in my new home.
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Brown Love
2009 12 23
Watch out for slusk spray if you're in the city during the winter. As gross at is sitting here on the tram tracks, I can imagine that it would be even worse to get hit by a wave of it kicked up by a passing tram or bus.
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Walking the Side Streets of Göteborg
2009 10 27
One of the magical things about Göteborg is being able to walk down any of the many, many side streets during the middle of the day and find yourself almost entirely alone with just a hint of life on the streets.
Today while walking the town for a school project, I ran across these two girls making their way down the cobble stone street, just a couple hundred meters from one of the large streets leading down to the harbour.
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Slusk
2009 12 23
It has arrived. The wonderful Swedish Slusk; a combination of frozen snow, rain, and ice. Sure to make your daily commute miserable, and abundant throughout the city.
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Everyone has an iPhone
2009 12 23
Need I say anything else? This scenario must be repeated millions of times a day across the globe: person with head stuffed in their lap, tapping away on their iPhone.
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Haga in the Cold
2009 12 22
I snapped this photo as a person walked past me on the way to the Hagakyrkan tram stop the other night. There weren't many people out at the time which made this quiet city seem like a city literally frozen in time.
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Kviberg Robbers
2009 11 07
Ok, so maybe not everything about the market was amazing. The looming thread of pickpockets does do something to dampen the mood.
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