Thoughts of rebirth

Locals and visi­tors to the Swedish city of Kiruna enjoy a unique sauna expe­ri­ence in the form of Solar Egg, an art instal­la­tion inspired by the contras­ting and dynamic surroun­dings of Kiruna’s iron ore fields.

Kiruna (1,800 inha­bi­tants) is curr­ently under­going a radical trans­for­ma­tion, which involves a gigantic move for the whole town. This is so that the mining company LKAB can extract more of the iron seam that cuts diago­nally down­wards beneath the town. The iron ore is and has been – ever since it first began to be extra­cted at the end of the 19th century – an important source of income for Sweden, and abso­lutely vital for the town of Kiruna.

No mine, no town. But the brea­king up and devas­ta­ting trans­for­ma­tion of the land­scape, the envi­ron­ment and the archi­tec­ture caused by the move are also spar­king a lot of debate. Solar Egg has been made as a social sculp­ture where local people and visi­tors to the town can meet and, for instance, discuss these chal­lenges. In the arctic climate of Lapland the sauna occu­pies a key posi­tion, as a room for warmth and reflec­tion. B&B have taken up this tradi­tion and deve­loped a sculp­tural symbol that prompts thoughts of rebirth and an incu­bator that nurtures conver­sa­tion and exch­anges of ideas.

Sacrosanct places

Stan­ding five metres high and four metres wide, the Solar Egg has a shell of gold-plated stain­less steel that reflects the city and surroun­ding coun­try­side. Consis­ting of 69 sepa­rate pieces, the instal­la­tion can be taken down and moved to diffe­rent loca­tions within the city. Inside, heat is provided by a heart-shaped wood-fired burner.

The egg’s inte­rior has been formed out of wood, with the wall panels and floor decking made out of pine and the bench of aspen. In the centre of the egg stand the wood-heated, heart-shaped sauna stove made out of iron and stone. The tempe­ra­ture inside the egg varies between 75° and 85° Celsius.

Solar Egg was projected for the soci­ally aware cons­truc­tion company Riks­byggen for the start of their new projects in Kiruna. Riks­byggen is comme­mo­ra­ting the start of Kiruna’s urban trans­for­ma­tion. Another project partner is Futur­ni­ture, a commu­ni­ca­tion and design agency colla­bo­ra­ting with artists Mats Bigert and Lars Berg­ström. “Saunas are places that fasci­nate. When Riks­byggen asked us to inter­pret Kiruna, we felt it was natural to explore a space that unites and encou­rages conver­sa­tion,” say artists Mats Bigert and Lars Berg­ström. “Saunas are sacro­sanct places where you can discuss all manner of things – from the big to the small.”

Recognition

Solar Egg has been invited to be part of the Swedish Design Moves Paris initia­tive. For three weeks, starting on the 25th of November, Pari­sians will get the chance to expe­ri­ence both Swedish design and sauna tradi­tions.

Solar Egg was recently reco­g­nised with a Red Dot and German Design Award. It has been nomi­nated in the London Inter­na­tional Awards and the Swedish Design Prize.