Umeå researchers celebrate forest artwork inauguration

On Sunday morning 19 May, researchers and interested from Umeå University and SLU went by bus to Vännforsbäck to inaugurate an artwork which is part of the exhibit titled “Eight degrees / Contemporary art about the forest” at Bildmuseet.

The inauguration began with participants each bringing a piece of scrap lumber, retrieved from a local sawmill north of Umeå, on a ceremonial walk into the forest where they encountered a large installation of scrap lumber under a towering pine stand. This scrap lumber has been returned to the forest as deadwood, where it will decompose and become inhabited by multitudes of flora and fauna, thus supporting its own ecosystem while also contributing to the ecosystem in which it now belongs.

The artists Malin Arnell and Åsa Elzén described the motivation and intention of their art piece, followed by a discussion about the importance of deadwood by SLU lecturer Jörgen Sjögren. He is the coordinator for the competence area Restoration Ecology. Participants then placed their own piece of scrap lumber onto the large pile, therefore becoming part of the artwork and its journey.

The event was organized by Bildmuseet together with Future Forests and the owners of the forest and the nearby summer café Kullar & Klang.