Kirunatopia

Draggkamp | Tug of War Happening

On the 8th of September 2011 at 17:00, 250 inhabitants of Kiruna created a red rope spanning the 3 kilometers estimated as the ‘crack line’ that will occur in 2012 caused by the Iron mine’s proximity to the city.
This rope was made out of personal red pieces of clothing that the participants brought with them. As the rope was formed, memories of the place where the participants stood and that will no longer exist in the near future were shared. A picture of everyone’s feet was taken and the participants were divided into teams who then played the ‘rope pulling’ game ‘Tug of War’. Drinks were served after the happening.

This crack line will separate one of the oldest parts of the city (including the Hjlmargarden, the LKAB hotel, the railway station) and many residential buildings from the rest of Kiruna. In this Happening, the people formed a collective body and stood at a symbolic spot.

How would it be to physically confront the crack?

The people engaged in the ‘rope pulling’ game were invited to reclaim their role in the political economical push-pull game that will decide the future of their town.

Will the crack be the cause of a crack in the memory and history of the town?

Press and Documentation

The Swedish regional newspapers NSD and Norrbottens-Kuriren were already reporting on the Happening before it took place. When Lina Issa came to Kiruna for the first time, as can be read in NSD, she was surprised by the reticence of the inhabitants when it came to the moving of their city and their feelings connected to this future. Everyone referred only to the economical and political consequences of the moving and she noticed a feeling of tiredness around the issue.

That is why Lina Issa wanted to create a chance for the people to talk about their memories, their future and their feelings; to be part of the process and not only to wait until somebody else decided about the future of the town. Lina Issa did not intend to tell people what they had to say or feel. She wanted to establish a space and a possibility for them to both mentally as well as physically feel the changing. Furthermore, she was hoping by doing so to activate reflections and discussions.

To read more about Lina Issa’s thoughts and motivations click here or continue reading for more information, photos and an audio sample!
Continue reading "After Lina Issa's Happening: A Review" »

Test flights with an airship in the Swedish archipelago

After months of preparations and many tests during summer, I arrive in Kiruna for a week of investigation and production. My plan is to film the remaining traces of the former industrial and residential area "Ön". In the 1980’s this was the first part of Kiruna that disappeared behind the fence: the border to the un-accessible deformation zone. I have two cameras mounted on a radio controlled airship and will fly this vehicle into the zone during the coming days. The airship proved to be quite stable when there is no wind, but gets almost uncontrollable with a single air current. It is more like the opposite of sailing and I will have to wait for the calm hours of the day. The weather expert at the Esrange Space Center nearby recommends the early morning hours as most likely to be windless. But I am very nervous to lose the equipment and the video takes all at once.

I arrive Sunday evening at the artist residence in Kiruna and prepare for the next day. The residence is a corner house on the inner-city ring road and during the evening and night I become familiar with the local pastime of endless car cruising. With modified or just cut-off exhaust systems and nervous feet on the gas pedals, the car drivers wait at the traffic light in front of the house: vroom, vroom, vroom... This will be the constant soundtrack of my stay and it helps me to stay awake. The next morning, I get up at 5 and check the weather conditions: 5 degrees Celsius, it's raining and already a bit windy. It’s too late, I will have to get up even earlier. There is an enormous amount of traffic as the shift begins at the LKAB mine: vroom, vroom, vroom...

Cruising with Agneta

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Agneta Andersson comes and helps me to drive all the equipment to a rented garage close to the fence and Ön-area. It's at Ullspiran, a 1960’s residential area which will be torn down in 2014 for the city's ongoing transformation. I spend the day building the airship, checking out the best film positions and picking mushrooms. The forests are full of appealing mushrooms and to my great surprise, nobody seems interested in them. I pick "blodriska", a spicy mushroom, which is a delicacy in Spain but not so popular in Sweden.

Tuesday morning I get up at 4. I am not used to getting up this early and feel very dull and tired. I look out of the window for a long time: The dawn has broken, everything is soaking wet from the night’s rain and the clouds cover the waste rock hills of the mine. But it's almost calm, only tiny movements in the air. Still at the window and hesitating, a dark blue Mercedes limousine shows up at the traffic light: vroom, vroom, vroom... I remember an interview with Lars-Eric Aaro, the vice-president of LKAB, where he talks about core values of managing and even mentions the classic "to come first and leave last". When the lights turn green and the V8 accelerates with an energetic snarl towards the mines port, I put on my rubber boots and leave for the garage at Ullspiran.

The first flights are going well and I get some close-up footage from the foundations and the overgrown paths inside the zone. Cracks and holes are visible, but I don't dare get to close to the big deformations. The wind conditions are too unstable and I fight with my remote control to get back the airship safely. After an hour, all the battery packs are empty and I'm totally exhausted. It starts raining again and gets difficult to maneuver the zeppelin back to the garage. At 7 I'm back in the flat again, happy and wet to the bones.
Continue reading "Flying into the Zone" »