Immersions in Memory
Every summer in the Swedish coastal town of Fjällbacka, my mother bathes in the sea early in the morning; a daily ritual of calm immersion with only water, wooden bath-huts and rounded granite boulders as a backdrop, a family tradition with roots in the town’s history. But the seasons transform Fjällbacka from a thriving tourist resort with 25000 visitors in the summer to a deserted ghost town with just 1000 inhabitants in the winter - the perfect crime novel scenario for international best-selling resident Camilla Läckberg.
By delving into the memories of residents and returning summer guests alike, a mosaic of particular visions of the town of Fjällbacka is captured, allowing its layers, character and legacy to be valued and ultimately preserved and enhanced through the project.
On the verge of a significant redevelopment of an abandoned waterfront, the project sits within a context of strong political and economic tensions, with several developers looking to expand on waterfront housing and touristic summer facilities. However, an immersion in the local way of life in November 2009 revealed a strong community with great pride in their culture and history but with very little public space for their events. Social activities and underused spaces were mapped around the town, and events such as the town's weekly sauna were attended. In addition, a bathing event and evening charette were organised and advertised on the local website to discuss development, problems and aspirations. Nostalgia was identified as a dominant symptom of the diminishing population, and discussions were held with locals to find “a new channel for local culture” and discover why "it was better back then". Meetings were also held with developers and council architects, in order to gain an understanding for the different layers that make up the town.
The project looks at the other side of this potential waterfront development by focusing on forgotten public spaces and Fjällbacka’s local heritage, proposing a series of small landscape interventions to frame the local culture and bold landscape. The project proposes the recovery of local symbols and skills to fit within an existing but neglected network, including stonecutting, boathouses and lookouts. Central to the proposal is a new Folkets Hus – an all activity ‘People’s House’, previously lost in the 1960s and found to be missed deeply by Fjällbacka’s residents.
Ultimately, the proposal seeks to regenerate and repair the town’s cultural and social system, reaffirming the local community and mediating between the deeply set contrasts and dualities of Fjällbacka: winter/summer; tourist/local; past/present; timber/granite.
Every summer in the Swedish coastal town of Fjällbacka, my mother bathes in the sea early in the morning; a daily ritual of calm immersion with only water, wooden bath-huts and rounded granite boulders as a backdrop, a family tradition with roots in the town’s history. But the seasons transform Fjällbacka from a thriving tourist resort with 25000 visitors in the summer to a deserted ghost town with just 1000 inhabitants in the winter - the perfect crime novel scenario for international best-selling resident Camilla Läckberg.
By delving into the memories of residents and returning summer guests alike, a mosaic of particular visions of the town of Fjällbacka is captured, allowing its layers, character and legacy to be valued and ultimately preserved and enhanced through the project.
On the verge of a significant redevelopment of an abandoned waterfront, the project sits within a context of strong political and economic tensions, with several developers looking to expand on waterfront housing and touristic summer facilities. However, an immersion in the local way of life in November 2009 revealed a strong community with great pride in their culture and history but with very little public space for their events. Social activities and underused spaces were mapped around the town, and events such as the town's weekly sauna were attended. In addition, a bathing event and evening charette were organised and advertised on the local website to discuss development, problems and aspirations. Nostalgia was identified as a dominant symptom of the diminishing population, and discussions were held with locals to find “a new channel for local culture” and discover why "it was better back then". Meetings were also held with developers and council architects, in order to gain an understanding for the different layers that make up the town.
The project looks at the other side of this potential waterfront development by focusing on forgotten public spaces and Fjällbacka’s local heritage, proposing a series of small landscape interventions to frame the local culture and bold landscape. The project proposes the recovery of local symbols and skills to fit within an existing but neglected network, including stonecutting, boathouses and lookouts. Central to the proposal is a new Folkets Hus – an all activity ‘People’s House’, previously lost in the 1960s and found to be missed deeply by Fjällbacka’s residents.
Ultimately, the proposal seeks to regenerate and repair the town’s cultural and social system, reaffirming the local community and mediating between the deeply set contrasts and dualities of Fjällbacka: winter/summer; tourist/local; past/present; timber/granite.
