Uppsala of the future at Culture Night
During Culture Night, there will be guided tours alongside family activities in the newly opened Gustavianum. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt
Uppsala University will be offering a range of activities on Culture Night on 14 September 2024. Among much else, you can visit the exhibition Trakt (Region) and discuss the future of Uppsala based on the artworks. On a related note, Bygga Bo (Building a Nest), is the theme of an exhibition in the mortuary chapel on Trädgårdsgatan. And don’t miss Museum Gustavianum, newly opened after a long period of renovation!
One of the works in the exhibition Trakt. Photo: Stephen McKenzie.
You can visit the exhibition Trakt, where there will be art and talks on the theme of location, in a temporary pavilion outside Segerstedthuset, Uppsala University’s administration building at Dag Hammarskjölds väg 7.
Trakt is an art exhibition and dialogue between researchers, artists, architects and visitors about the future of Uppsala. What will the city of the future look like? How will we live? What will we eat? What challenges will we face?
Trakt is based on the artist Sten Eklund’s art series Kullahuset. Eklund was an artist from Uppsala born in 1942. His Kullahuset series is about a fictional biologist who in the 19th century discovers a place, Kullahuset, where the laws of nature that humans hold to be true do not seem to apply. The fictional biologist tries to explore, measure and describe the site, but no one believes him and he is unable to return to the site.
The Kullahuset series becomes a discussion about what is measurable and about society’s requirement for measurability in order to be relevant. How should society and humans relate to measurable and personal experiences of the world?
At Trakt, you will encounter art that takes its inspiration from the place. The art will serve as a space for dialogue about the future of Uppsala, and you are encouraged to participate as a visitor.
Read more about the Trakt exhibition
Building a nest on Trädgårdsgatan
At Trädgårdsgatan 18 there is an old mortuary chapel that has been opened up for Culture Night in recent years. This year, it will host an exhibition by the artist AnnaKarin Svensson – an installation that explores themes such as memory, identity and nostalgia. How do we all – in our own way – build our nests and fill them with meaning?
Read more about the exhibition in the mortuary chapel (in Swedish)
Don't miss Museum Gustavianum
In an article about tips for activities offered by Uppsala University during Culture Night, naturally it would be impossible to skip over the newly opened Museum Gustavianum on Akademigatan 3 (entrance from the University Park).
Gustavianum reopened in summer 2024 after a long period of renovation. Visitors will now be met by both a renovated building and new permanent exhibitions.
During Culture Night, there will be guided tours in both Swedish and English alongside family activities in the afternoon. For those interested, there will also be a recording of the seminar series UppTalk in the anatomical theatre with researchers Cecilia Persson and Maria Tenje, who will discuss the ‘spare parts person’ of the future.
Read more about the programme at Museum Gustavianum (in Swedish)
Anders Berndt
Uppsala Culture Night
The culture night is an annual event, organized by Uppsala’s cultural workers, associations, institutions, and companies. On September 14, 2024, Culture Night Uppsala once again takes over the city’s streets, squares and stages.