Cementa & Toyota – A Fable of Two Sisters

Cementa & Toyota – A Fable of Two Sisters

HD video with sound, 08:51 minutes, 2016

A film about two sculptures and their location in the industrial harbor of Malmö, Sweden.
The two sisters, Cementa and Toyota, reside on the last strip of public land amidst a large depot of imported cars and a colossal cement silo.
These two site-specific sculptures, one cast in concrete the other moulded in HDPE plastic from the area, contemplate on their situation, vaguely aware of the synthetic, artificial nature of themselves and their surroundings.

Cementa&Toyota6  Cementa&Toyota2 Cementa&Toyota20  Cementa&Toyota19  Cementa&Toyota17   Cementa&Toyota1Cementa&Toyota14  Cementa&Toyota12  Cementa&Toyota11  Cementa&Toyota13  Cementa&Toyota22  Cementa&Toyota25
Cementa & Toyota – A Fable of Two Sisters
(video stills) HD video with sound, 08:51 minutes, 2016

site-specific sculpture for the exhibition Reyhani, Sumari, Wallin, 
organized by plattform KcSyd at Konstfrämjandet Skåne, Malmö, Sweden 2020
 
plastic and bricks recovered from the industrial harbor of Malmö. 
 
The sisters Cementa & Toyota are skeptically reviewing their surroundings while resting on brick pedestals. These bricks were once buildings of the old central Malmö but got demolished in the 1960’s and became landfill material for the industrial harbor of the city.
Now the bricks return to their original neighborhood, carrying with them a new history about a site they’ve constructed for the past 60 years.


Drifter
concrete and car bumpers, 45 x 170 x 50 cm
video installation with the sculpture as a bench from the exhibition Paragoge at Skånes konstförening, Malmö, Sweden, 2017


Biofoul 
HDPE & PP plastic and apples from the industrial harbor of Mellersta hamnen in Malmö, Sweden.
80 x 45 x 35 cm. Apples served to exhibition visitors viewing the video Cementa & Toyota – A Fable of Two Sisters at Skånes konstförening, Malmö, Sweden, 2017


video installation from the exhibition corrupted full of life at Schimmel Projects – Art Centre Dresden, Dresden, Germany, 2018


video installation from the exhibition Cementa & Toyota at ACUD gallery, Berlin, 2017.

_MG_5236 copy
video installation in the group exhibition Aperto at Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como, Italy, 2016

Essay text for duo-exhibition Paragoge* at Skånes konstförening,
by curators Hans​ ​Carlsson​ ​and​ ​Sebastian​ ​Dahlqvist:

Paragoge1

Mellersta​ ​hamnen​ ​(The​ ​Middle​ ​Harbor),​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​central​ ​ports​ ​of​ ​Malmö,​ ​is​ ​located​ ​outside what​ ​is​ ​considered​ ​to​ ​be​ ​the​ ​city’s​ ​historic​ ​center,​ ​surrounded​ ​by​ ​a​ ​canal.​ ​The​ ​harbor​ ​has been​ ​of​ ​central​ ​importance​ ​as​ ​an​ ​economic​ ​engine​ ​for​ ​the​ ​city’s​ ​financial​ ​expansion​ ​and​ ​its development​ ​during​ ​the​ ​18th​ ​and​ ​19th​ ​century.​ ​Matti​ ​Sumari’s​ ​​Cementa​ ​&​ ​Toyota​ ​​ ​A Fable​ ​of​ ​Two​ ​Sisters​ ​​is​ ​an​ ​essay​ ​film​ ​about​ ​two​ ​site-specific​ ​sculptures​ ​located​ ​in Mellersta​ ​hamnen,​ ​on​ ​a​ ​forgotten​ ​deserted​ ​strip​ ​of​ ​artificial​ ​land,​ ​among​ ​fenced​ ​industrial areas​ ​in​ ​the​ ​outskirts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​harbor​ ​area.​ ​The​ ​site​ ​is​ ​the​ ​last​ ​part​ ​of​ ​public​ ​land​ ​outside​ ​of Toyota’s​ ​depot​ ​for​ ​new​ ​vehicles,​ ​watched​ ​over​ ​by​ ​Cementa’s​ ​huge​ ​cement​ ​silos.​ ​The sculptures​ ​depict​ ​the​ ​sisters​ ​Cementa​ ​and​ ​Toyota.​ ​The​ ​film​ ​unfolds​ ​through​ ​a​ ​dialogue between​ ​the​ ​two​ ​creatures,​ ​one​ ​cast​ ​in​ ​concrete​ ​and​ ​the​ ​other​ ​in​ ​HDPE​ ​plastic;​ ​materials collected​ ​from​ ​the​ ​sculptors’​ ​surroundings.​ ​At​ ​this​ ​artificial​ ​site,​ ​the​ ​sisters​ ​contemplate​ ​their environment,​ ​reflecting​ ​upon​ ​their​ ​living​ ​conditions​ ​and​ ​surroundings.​ ​The​ ​video​ ​is​ ​shown alongside​ ​the​ ​sculpture​ ​​Drifter​​ ​(which​ ​also​ ​serves​ ​as​ ​a​ ​seat),​ ​​Biofoul​ ​​(offering​ ​the​ ​visitors apples​ ​from​ ​the​ ​harbor)​ ​and​ ​the​ ​sculptures​ ​​Residuals​ ​/​ ​Age​ ​of​ ​Shiny​:​ ​mutated​ ​relatives of​ ​the​ ​video’s​ ​protagonists,​ ​amalgam​ ​mashups,​ ​made​ ​of​ ​synthetic​ ​materials.

Situated​ ​east​ ​of​ ​Mellersta​ ​hamnen,​ ​beyond​ ​railroad​ ​tracks​ ​and​ ​a​ ​golf​ ​course,​ ​one​ ​finds​ ​the carrier​ ​pigeon​ ​clubs​ ​of​ ​Valdemarsro,​ ​Brevduveklubben​ ​Fram​ ​and​ ​Malmö​ ​Brevduveklubb. In​ ​total​ ​the​ ​clubs,​ ​run​ ​by​ ​enthusiasts,​ ​have​ ​18​ ​cottages​ ​that​ ​can​ ​hold​ ​up​ ​to​ ​300​ ​pigeons between​ ​May​ ​and​ ​August.​ ​In​ ​other​ ​places​ ​in​ ​Malmö​ ​carrier​ ​pigeons​ ​have​ ​disappeared​ ​in favour​ ​of​ ​allotments,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​club​ ​in​ ​Valdemarsro​ ​is​ ​still​ ​there.​ ​Petter​ ​Dahlström​ ​Persson’s sculptural​ ​installation​ ​​Tidens​ ​budbärare​​ ​is​ ​based​ ​on​ ​the​ ​distinctive​ ​architecture​ ​that characterizes​ ​the​ ​carrier​ ​pigeon​ ​clubs​ ​at​ ​Valdemarsro.​ ​An​ ​architecture​ ​that​ ​has​ ​emerged based​ ​on​ ​the​ ​habits​ ​and​ ​needs​ ​of​ ​the​ ​carrier​ ​pigeons.​ ​The​ ​wooden​ ​houses​ ​of​ ​the​ ​clubs​ ​have spread​ ​organically​ ​across​ ​the​ ​area,​ ​without​ ​any​ ​overall​ ​plan.

The​ ​media​ ​revolution​ ​of​ ​the​ ​19th​ ​century​ ​can​ ​be​ ​regarded​ ​as​ ​a​ ​revolution​ ​of​ ​​writing,​ ​​the telegraph​ ​wrote​ ​over​ ​space,​ ​the​ ​camera​ ​wrote​ ​light,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​phonograph​ ​wrote​ ​sound.
The​ ​carrier​ ​pigeon​ ​was​ ​a​ ​precursor​ ​to​ ​this​ ​type​ ​of​ ​writing,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​meaning​ ​of​ ​(mass) communication.​ ​The​ ​carrier​ ​pigeons​ ​messages​ ​were​ ​also​ ​primarily​ ​written​ ​messages, transported​ ​across​ ​distances​ ​and​ ​areas​ ​that​ ​were​ ​difficult​ ​or​ ​time-consuming​ ​to​ ​other​ ​forms of​ ​human​ ​communication.​ ​Not​ ​least​ ​in​ ​times​ ​of​ ​war​ ​when​ ​the​ ​carrier​ ​pigeon​ ​transported messages​ ​over​ ​sea​ ​and​ ​land,​ ​from​ ​war​ ​areas​ ​back​ ​to​ ​the​ ​pigeon’s​ ​homes.

The​ ​use​ ​of​ ​carrier​ ​pigeons​ ​decreased​ ​when​ ​the​ ​telegraph​ ​became​ ​popularized,​ ​eventually transforming​ ​the​ ​carrier​ ​pigeon​ ​activity​ ​into​ ​a​ ​sports​ ​and​ ​leisure​ ​activity.

1​ ​Paragoge​ ​is​ ​a​ ​term​ ​for​ ​a​ ​letter​ ​or​ ​a​ ​syllable​ ​that​ ​is​ ​added​ ​to​ ​a​ ​word​ ​by​ ​”natural”​ ​language​ ​use,​ ​or because​ ​of​ ​grammatical​ ​rules.​ ​As​ ​in​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of​ ​spontaneous​ ​language​ ​sounds​ ​that​ ​have​ ​been​ ​given lexical​ ​significance​ ​over​ ​time,​ ​as​ ​in​ ​”among-st”​ ​(previously​ ​among).​ ​From​ ​Greek​ ​​para​​ ​​​​ ​alongside​ ​and agōgē​​ ​​​​ ​carrying.

In​ ​his​ ​project,​ ​Dahlström​ ​Persson​ ​is​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​photographic​ ​techniques,​ ​as well​ ​as​ ​other​ ​methods​ ​of​ ​mass​ ​communication,​ ​developed​ ​as​ ​the​ ​interest​ ​in​ ​carrier​ ​pigeons decreased.​ ​He​ ​states​ ​that:​ ​”In​ ​the​ ​same​ ​technological​ ​revolution​ ​that​ ​the​ ​telegraph​ ​and​ ​the phone​ ​belonged​ ​to,​ ​the​ ​photograph​ ​entered​ ​the​ ​scene.​ ​And​ ​today,​ ​with​ ​the​ ​observational​ ​eye of​ ​the​ ​photographic​ ​lens,​ ​I​ ​now​ ​capture​ ​the​ ​letters​ ​of​ ​the​ ​pigeons​ ​as​ ​it​ ​appears​ ​today.”

*

The​ ​way​ ​Malmö​ ​is​ ​expanding​ ​can​ ​be​ ​described​ ​as​ ​in​ ​many​ ​ways,​ ​albeit​ ​not​ ​only,​ ​by​ ​the​ ​word sprawl,​ ​a​ ​term​ ​that​ ​has​ ​been​ ​widely​ ​used​ ​also​ ​to​ ​describe​ ​cultural​ ​phenomena.​ ​Sprawl​ ​is​ ​a concept​ ​of​ ​urban​ ​development​ ​that​ ​takes​ ​place​ ​without​ ​center​ ​formations,​ ​and​ ​without hierarchies​ ​between​ ​center​ ​and​ ​periphery.​ ​If​ ​European​ ​cities​ ​are​ ​concentrated​ ​around​ ​a cultural,​ ​social​ ​and​ ​financial​ ​center,​ ​the​ ​cities​ ​that​ ​sprawl​ ​are​ ​rather​ ​built​ ​around​ ​several nodes​ ​of​ ​equal​ ​value.​ ​Los​ ​Angeles​ ​and​ ​other​ ​US​ ​cities,​ ​dependent​ ​on​ ​road​ ​transports​ ​to function,​ ​have​ ​been​ ​taken​ ​as​ ​an​ ​example​ ​of​ ​this.​ ​The​ ​sprawling​ ​that​ ​occurs​ ​in​ ​Malmö​ ​is​ ​often linked​ ​to​ ​the​ ​expansion​ ​of​ ​places​ ​for​ ​consumption,​ ​outside​ ​the​ ​city​ ​or​ ​in​ ​the​ ​outskirts​ ​of​ ​the city.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​the​ ​case​ ​with​ ​Emporia​ ​Shopping​ ​Center​ ​in​ ​the​ ​new​ ​Hyllie​ ​district,​ ​between​ ​the city​ ​center​ ​and​ ​Öresundsbron.​ ​The​ ​cultural​ ​geographer​ ​Guy​ ​Baeten​ ​has​ ​described​ ​the expansion​ ​in​ ​Hyllie​ ​as​ ​an​ ​attempt​ ​to​ ​establish​ ​a​ ​logistics​ ​center​ ​that​ ​binds​ ​together strong-scale​ ​groups​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Malmö​ ​and​ ​Copenhagen​ ​area.2​ ​When​ ​a​ ​city​ ​sprawls​ ​it​ ​often​ ​does so​ ​in​ ​relation​ ​to​ ​the​ ​needs​ ​and​ ​movements​ ​of​ ​privileged​ ​groups.3

Sprawl​ ​is​ ​a​ ​controversial​ ​concept,​ ​loaded​ ​with​ ​negative​ ​connotations​ ​of​ ​an​ ​uneven geographical​ ​development,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​positive​ ​notions​ ​of​ ​dynamic​ ​expansion​ ​and​ ​urbanism. As​ ​a​ ​term​ ​used​ ​in​ ​cultural​ ​theory,​ ​the​ ​word​ ​is​ ​no​ ​less​ ​debated.​ ​Sprawl​ ​has,​ ​among​ ​other things,​ ​come​ ​to​ ​symbolize​ ​a​ ​certain​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​poetry.​ ​A​ ​poetry​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​built​ ​around​ ​a conceptual​ ​core,​ ​a​ ​unified​ ​meaning,​ ​but​ ​instead​ ​refers​ ​to​ ​languages​ ​as​ ​a​ ​construction​ ​of simultaneous​ ​meanings,​ ​and​ ​different​ ​interpretations.​ ​In​ ​this​ ​way,​ ​poetry​ ​turns​ ​into​ ​a material,​ ​like​ ​building​ ​blocks​ ​where​ ​the​ ​author’s​ ​intentions​ ​or​ ​accepted​ ​interpretative methods​ ​give​ ​way​ ​to​ ​the​ ​text​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of​ ​a​ ​more​ ​neutral​ ​meaning-bearing​ ​network.​ ​The​ ​poet and​ ​architect​ ​Lars​ ​Mikael​ ​Raattamaa’s​ ​architecture​ ​and​ ​poetry​ ​has​ ​been​ ​related​ ​to​ ​the​ ​term sprawl.​ ​For​ ​example​ ​​mallamerik,​ ​mallammer,​ ​malameri,​ ​mallame,​ ​amerik,​ ​mallameka, merrikka​​ ​(the​ ​title​ ​consists​ ​of​ ​different​ ​anagrams​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world’s​ ​largest​ ​mall​ ​The​ ​Mall​ ​of America),​ ​which​ ​repeatedly​ ​makes​ ​the​ ​language​ ​sprawling​ ​in​ ​long​ ​monologues​ ​(which​ ​is often​ ​also​ ​about​ ​language),​ ​as​ ​unplanned​ ​as​ ​the​ ​sites​ ​referred​ ​to​ ​in​ ​the​ ​text.​ ​As​ ​under​ ​the heading​ ​”Alternative​ ​communities”:​ ​”There​ ​is​ ​nothing​ ​before​ ​the​ ​language,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​is

2​ ​Guy​ ​Baeten,​ ​“Normalising​ ​Neoliberal​ ​Planning:​ ​The​ ​Case​ ​of​ ​Malmö,​ ​Sweden”,​ ​in:​ ​​The​ ​GeoJournal Library:​ ​Contradictions​ ​of​ ​Neoliberal​ ​Planning​ ​Cities,​ ​Policies,​ ​and​ ​Politics,​ ​​ed.,​ ​Guy​ ​Baeten​ ​and Tuna Ta ̧san-Kok, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York: Springer, 2002.
3​ ​Guy​ ​Baeten,​ ​“Normalising​ ​Neoliberal​ ​Planning:​ ​The​ ​Case​ ​of​ ​Malmö,​ ​Sweden”,​ ​i:​ ​​The​ ​GeoJournal Library:​ ​Contradictions​ ​of​ ​Neoliberal​ ​Planning​ ​Cities,​ ​Policies,​ ​and​ ​Politics,​ ​​ed.,​ ​Guy​ ​Baeten​ ​och Tuna Ta ̧san-Kok, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York: Springer, 2002.

becoming-language​ ​/​ ​—​ ​/​ ​in​ ​the​ ​first​ ​hill​ ​there​ ​is​ ​a​ ​Chinese​ ​restaurant​ ​in​ ​the​ ​other​ ​a​ ​candy factory​ ​and​ ​in​ ​the​ ​third​ ​hill​ ​there​ ​is​ ​a​ ​retirement​ ​home,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​good​ ​like​ ​that.”4

For​ ​those​ ​who​ ​have​ ​a​ ​positive​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​sprawl,​ ​the​ ​concept​ ​has​ ​an​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​depict​ ​a development​ ​where​ ​hierarchies​ ​between​ ​meaning​ ​and​ ​non-meaning,​ ​and​ ​different​ ​types​ ​of values​ ​are​ ​of​ ​no​ ​importance.

In​ ​an​ ​essay​ ​in​ ​the​ ​magazine​ ​​OEI​​ ​Art​ ​historian​ ​Milou​ ​Allerholm​ ​describes​ ​movements​ ​in​ ​arts development​ ​in​ ​the​ ​1960s​ ​and​ ​1970s,​ ​which​ ​in​ ​many​ ​ways​ ​resemble​ ​the​ ​qualities​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be termed​ ​sprawling:​ ​”Within​ ​dance,​ ​the​ ​disciplined​ ​classical​ ​exercise​ ​was​ ​replaced​ ​by​ ​the movements​ ​of​ ​everyday​ ​life​ ​or​ ​of​ ​the​ ​unschooled​ ​body,​ ​within​ ​the​ ​fine​ ​arts​ ​a​ ​field​ ​opened​ ​for the​ ​most​ ​ordinary​ ​phenomena.”5​ ​Allerholm’s​ ​focus​ ​in​ ​the​ ​text​ ​is​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​work,​ ​​The​ ​Aerial Kit​ ​​​​​​ ​Bland​ ​människor​ ​emellan​ ​1809-1989​,​ ​produced​ ​by​ ​the​ ​artist​ ​collective​ ​Vavd​ ​Editions (Peter​ ​Andersson,​ ​Måns​ ​Wrange,​ ​Pål​ ​Wrange​ ​and​ ​Lars​ ​Svensson).

The​ ​Aerial​ ​Kit​​ ​consists​ ​of​ ​collected​ ​stories​ ​from​ ​and​ ​about​ ​the​ ​experience​ ​of​ ​flight,​ ​attempts to​ ​fly​ ​and​ ​other​ ​air-related​ ​adventures.​ ​The​ ​work​ ​took​ ​the​ ​form​ ​of​ ​a​ ​box,​ ​a​ ​yellow​ ​safety deposit​ ​box,​ ​where​ ​the​ ​stories​ ​were​ ​gathered.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​program​ ​explanation​ ​for​ ​the​ ​work,​ ​the group​ ​stated​ ​that​ ​”‘​The​ ​Aerial​ ​Kit​ ​​can​ ​be​ ​read​ ​as​ ​a​ ​piece​ ​of​ ​alternative​ ​history​ ​about​ ​how people​ ​in,​ ​and​ ​beyond​ ​the​ ​enlightenment​ ​projects​ ​attempted​ ​to​ ​satisfy​ ​their​ ​everyday needs.’”6​ ​In​ ​the​ ​box,​ ​one​ ​could,​ ​for​ ​example,​ ​read​ ​about​ ​the​ ​farmer​ ​Martin​ ​Swingberg​ ​who built​ ​a​ ​landing​ ​strip​ ​outside​ ​his​ ​farm,​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​”receive​ ​visits​ ​from​ ​above.”

The​ ​Aerial​ ​Kit​ ​​takes​ ​​​​ ​more​ ​than​ ​conceptual​ ​art​ ​in​ ​general,​ ​according​ ​to​ ​Allerholm​ ​​​​ ​its starting​ ​point​ ​in​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​delimited​ ​subject​ ​matter.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​interesting​ ​to​ ​note​ ​that​ ​this delimited​ ​matter​ ​is​ ​concerned​ ​with​ ​peripheral​ ​phenomenon,​ ​hobbies,​ ​and​ ​quasi-scientific projects.​ ​Allerholm​ ​writes​ ​that​ ​in​ ​a​ ​time​ ​of​ ​political​ ​and​ ​aesthetic​ ​deconstruction,​ ​​The​ ​Aerial Kit​ ​​”appeared​ ​to​ ​be​ ​based​ ​on​ ​a​ ​genuine​ ​interest​ ​in​ ​storytelling,​ ​moreover,​ ​with​ ​a​ ​kind​ ​of ethnographic​ ​angle​ ​and​ ​an​ ​almost​ ​fetishistic​ ​relationship​ ​to​ ​the​ ​art​ ​object.”

*

Cementa​​&​​Toyota​​​​A​​Fable​​of​​Two​​Sisters​a​​ nd​​​Tidens​​budbärare​​​revolves​​around​​two​​of Malmö​ ​city’s​ ​outer​ ​districts,​ ​peripheral​ ​both​ ​socially​ ​and​ ​economically.​ ​These​ ​areas​ ​relate​ ​to a​ ​city’s​ ​organic​ ​expansion,​ ​a​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​sprawl​ ​that​ ​contrasts​ ​with​ ​the​ ​city’s​ ​more​ ​financially controlled​ ​expansion.​ ​The​ ​two​ ​projects,​ ​similarly​ ​to​ ​​The​ ​Aerial​ ​Kit​,​ ​throw​ ​a​ ​curious​ ​and exploring​ ​look​ ​at​ ​these​ ​areas​ ​and​ ​the​ ​activities​ ​that​ ​take​ ​place​ ​there.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​possible​ ​to​ ​make

4​ ​Lars​ ​Mikael​ ​Raatamaa,​ ​​​​mallamerik,​ ​mallammer,​ ​malameri,​ ​mallame,​ ​amerik,​ ​mallameka, merrikka​,​ ​Stockholm:​ ​Albert​ ​bonniers​ ​förlag,​ ​2008,​ ​pp.​ ​81-82.
5​ ​Milou​ ​Allerholm,​ ​“The​ ​Aerial​ ​Kit:​ ​Bland​ ​människor​ ​emellan​ ​1809-1989”,​ ​i​ ​​OEI​ ​​nr​ ​52,​ ​2011,​ ​p.​ ​373. 6​ ​Allerholm,​ ​“The​ ​Aerial​ ​Kit:​ ​Bland​ ​människor​ ​emellan​ ​1809-1989”,​ ​2011,​ ​p.​ ​375.

More​ ​comparisons:​ ​the​ ​two​ ​projects​ ​also​ ​have​ ​the​ ​common​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​placing​ ​an outside-of-human​ ​perspective​ ​on​ ​their​ ​study​ ​objects.

Sumari’s​ ​mutated​ ​plastic​ ​and​ ​cement​ ​protagonists​ ​residing​ ​on​ ​a​ ​rock​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Baltic​ ​Sea,​ ​makes one​ ​think​ ​of​ ​maritime​ ​spirits,​ ​who​ ​seem​ ​to​ ​guard​ ​over​ ​Mellersta​ ​hamnen​ ​like​ ​contemporary poseidons,​ ​or​ ​figure​ ​heads​ ​(which​ ​historically​ ​have​ ​been​ ​used​ ​to​ ​protect​ ​ships​ ​and​ ​their crews).

The​​ocean’s​​mythological​​figures​​were​​actually​​already​​before​C​​ ementa​​&​​Toyota​​​​​​A Fable​ ​of​ ​Two​ ​Sisters​​ ​used​ ​as​ ​the​ ​subject​ ​matter​ ​in​ ​artworks​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Malmö​ ​area.​ ​In​ ​1944,​ ​the artist​ ​Edward​ ​Dahlskog​ ​made​ ​a​ ​fresco​ ​to​ ​the​ ​train​ ​ferry​ ​Malmöhus,7​ ​a​ ​version​ ​of​ ​​The​ ​Birth​ ​of Venus​,​ ​the​ ​Renaissance​ ​painting​ ​by​ ​Sandro​ ​Botticelli.​ ​​The​ ​Birth​ ​of​ ​Venus​​ ​has​ ​been​ ​described as​ ​a​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​key​ ​painting​ ​in​ ​the​ ​history​ ​of​ ​humanism,​ ​and​ ​Venus​ ​appears​ ​in​ ​the​ ​painting,​ ​as in​ ​Dahlskog’s​ ​fresco,​ ​born​ ​out​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sea,​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​to​ ​people​ ​both​ ​worldly​ ​and​ ​divine​ ​beauty.

Dahlström​ ​Persson’s​ ​art​ ​places​ ​the​ ​animal​ ​in​ ​the​ ​center.​ ​Svenska​ ​brevduveförbundet​ ​(The Swedish​ ​Carrier​ ​Pigeon​ ​Association)​ ​has​ ​about​ ​250​ ​organizations​ ​as​ ​members​ ​and​ ​the​ ​sports have​ ​followers​ ​around​ ​the​ ​world.​ ​Carrier​ ​pigeons​ ​are​ ​of​ ​course​ ​only​ ​one​ ​of​ ​many​ ​animals​ ​that have​ ​been​ ​very​ ​important​ ​to​ ​human​ ​development.​ ​With​ ​historian​ ​Donna​ ​Haraway,​ ​it​ ​is possible​ ​to​ ​consider​ ​these​ ​relationships​ ​between​ ​humans​ ​and​ ​animals​ ​as​ ​value​ ​creating networks,​ ​which​ ​not​ ​only​ ​place​ ​humanity​ ​in​ ​relation​ ​to​ ​animal​ ​needs,​ ​wills​ ​and​ ​influences, but​ ​also​ ​focuses​ ​on​ ​precisely​ ​the​ ​meeting​ ​of​ ​different​ ​organisms:​ ​it​ ​is​ ​in​ ​such​ ​a​ ​meeting​ ​that ecological,​ ​economic​ ​and​ ​social​ ​systems​ ​are​ ​created.​ ​Apparent​ ​not​ ​least​ ​in​ ​the​ ​architecture that​ ​characterizes​ ​the​ ​pigeon​ ​carrier​ ​club​ ​at​ ​Valdemarsro.

This​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​the​ ​“meetings​ ​between​ ​species”,​ ​can​ ​with​ ​advantage​ ​be​ ​extended​ ​to​ ​not​ ​only relate​ ​to​ ​the​ ​meetings​ ​between​ ​animals​ ​and​ ​human​ ​beings,​ ​but​ ​also​ ​mythical​ ​beings: creatures​ ​that​ ​historically​ ​resides​ ​in​ ​art,​ ​or​ ​lives​ ​at​ ​a​ ​rock​ ​in​ ​Mellersta​ ​hamnen​ ​i​ ​Malmö.

– Hans​ ​Carlsson​ ​and​ ​Sebastian​ ​Dahlqvist

7​ ​The​ ​painting​ ​is​ ​currently​ ​at​ ​the​ ​Technology​ ​and​ ​Maritime​ ​Museum​,​ ​​Malmö​ ​Museum.​ ​Not​ ​far​ ​from mellersta​ ​hamnen.

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