Life, with the park
Location: Östra Göinge, Sweden • • • Visit: May 2017
Smack in the middle of the study area for my PhD project, in the municipality of Östra Göinge, lies the castle Wanås. It has a history stretching back into the 15th century and the castle played an important role in the wars between Sweden and Denmark during the 16th and 17th centuries. The current castle, which was built in the early 18th century, is still a private home, but the groves of oak and beech that cover the old castle grounds have been turned into an outdoor art exhibition. A place where nature, history and art meet, as they’ve phrased it on their website. And I really like the way they’ve done it. How the curators and artists really have taken advantage of and respected this old, historical place, with the massive trees, and managed to keep the integrity of the old groves while at the same time challenging our ideas of what a forest is and what art is by making the sculptures and installations blend into the landscape.
It is surprising, and exciting to explore. I’m not always a big fan of modern art, but here, as an aesthetically challenging walk in the woods, I really enjoyed it. However, what left the deepest impression on me was still the tree. The Snapphane oak. It was already standing there when the first castle was being built in the end of the 15th century. It is said that several of the Snapphane soldiers, Scanians who fought on the Danish side against the Swedish crown in the 17th century, were hanged from its branches. It has seen so much life.
I stood for a long time with my palms against its rough bark. I felt like it was breathing. But maybe that was just me.
Katja Malmborg 