Project: Kivik Art Center
Location: Kivik, Sweden
Scope: Full contract
Size: 5 projects of various sizes
Client: Kivik Art Center
Schedule: 2007



Kivik Start is the first phase in the establishment of a new contemporary art centre in Kivik, Sweden. Snøhetta was invited to produce a temporary pavilion that combines art and architecture together with an artist of their choosing. Norwegian photographer
Tom Sandberg was chosen for the inherently ambiguous qualities of his black and white photography.

Kivik Start is a series of explorations of the spatial and temporal relationship between photography, architecture, and the landscape. The solid concrete boxes attempt to capture the ghost of the timeless photographic image in the here-and-now of the construction. The site, centered around Lille Stenshuvud in the Scania region of Sweden’s south east coast, is a mix of cleared pastures, wooded glades, rolling hills and steep drop-offs which make for a varied and layered experience. Strategic placement of the 5 concrete interventions on the site invites the visitor to explore four discrete landscape experiences.



The project consists of the following elements:
Two Viewfinders: a 2.5x2.5m cube that is open on two sides. Viewfinders permanently frame a chosen view of the landscape and serve as bookends for the start and finish of the interventions.

The Mothership: is a series of 5 3x5m rectangular concrete elements which functions as a flexible exhibition space. There is a clear glass enclosure at one end, and two sliding glass doors at the other. Roof lights in the form of curricular holes were cored from the pre-cast concrete and covered with circular glass set in silicone. The pattern of holes was generated from a silk-screened Tom Sandberg image providing a dappled natural light. For the opening season a Tom Sandberg photograph of an airplane wing adorns the right wall.



Two Photo-boxes: a 2.5 x 2.5m cube with a Tom Sandberg photograph silk printed on laminated glass on one side and with a black neoprene cover on the back stare at each other across a bend in the road. From the outside the glass acts as a mirror reflecting it’s surroundings, only offering a hint of the image on the glass. Once inside the neoprene slit the viewer can experience the image overlaid on the landscape beyond and the fine raster of the silkscreen up close.



Kivik Art Centre Sweden : art pavilion by David Chipperfield and Antony Gormley


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Comments / photos for the Swedish Art Pavilion page welcome:
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Kivik Art Centre Building - page: adrian welch / isabelle lomholt