Kosmos III
2008, wall drawing in black lacquer paint, 240 x 140 cm, private home, Gothenburg
Kosmos III was the name of a 25.000 ton whale-oil factory ship, built in Gothenburg’s largest shipyard Götaverken around 1949. I found a picture of the ship in a tourist folder in my brother’s new house, which was built during the same period, at the island Hisingen. Fundamental to the region but also precarious, the city’s history in ship construction intrigued me as the theme for a work aimed for the private sphere: a way to connect the shared, public space and its history with the more secluded, domestic sphere. The ship was part of the widely known Nimbus series, and its name – Kosmos III - speaks about the belief in technology, space and the future that signifies the decisive post-war era.