– an art-pedagogical project from south to north and back

Sweden is a very long country. From the northernmost to the southernmost tip it is 1600 kilometers. And between Halland and Västerbotten it is almost 1000 kilometers, as the crow flies.

In the art-pedagogical project Snow stars and Sea kelp, students in Saxnäs in Vilhelmina municipality are brought together with students from Halmstad and Laholm. With art, crafts, stories and surroundings as a starting point, we explore how our identity is affected by nature and culture.

What are the similarities and differences? The snow star as a symbol of northern Sweden may seem very different the sea kelp from the south. But if you look closely, the shape is quite similar. And both consist largely of the same material – water.

The project is a collaboration between the resource center Art in Halland and Ricklundgårdens art education workshop EMMAS in Saxnäs. It originates in an artistic residency exchange between Halland and Västerbotten.

The project is divided as a multi-stage rocket:

– Bring together. Through the exchange of collected natural material from the respective surrounding area, filmed greetings with place-bound stories and legends as well as different cultural experiences the students are learned through each other. About geography and nature, language and culture.

– Inspire. By working together with an artist, we want to inspire own creation and expression.

– Create. The craft has a universal tradition as a carrier of culture. The expressions can be quite similar to each other even if the geographical distance is far. Craft and art are in themselves languages that can unite and create conversation.