Unsheltered Island is a project I've been working with during 2023 after getting funding from Swedish Arts Grants Comittee. It all started off in 2019 really, when I through an e-mail conversation with MSB discovered that there are no public shelters on the island where I have my home. I simply got the answer that there are no shelters and maybe I could find an alternative, like a tunnel or basement. My exploration on the island is like a quest of finally finding a real shelter, I found a lot of traces of them since the military actually had shelters underground but sealed them fiveteen years ago. Another part of the project is from the huge public shelter in central Gothenburg, which I got access to during spring and summer. It's located under the university library and is functioning as storage room for over 500 000 books. It's like an analogue Internet down there. Overall, this work is about existential questions on the being of shelters and what purpose they have in a country that never had a reason to use them (there are more than 65 000 public shelters in Sweden). The world is getting more and more shaky and media has taken notice that people are asking for shelters more than ever before, which has led to renovation of many old, dusty shelters. My take on this issue is more of a philosophical perspective and deals with my personal fear for what's going to happen in the future and if there is some place to take shelter when it is needed.
The project will result in an upcoming book and exhibition next year. An inspiring text for the project has been the thesis Sheltered Society by Phd. Peter Bennesved