Nature vs culture walk

As part of the homecoming day in Rydöbruk, the artists Eric Andersson and Timo Menke, together with former journalist and Rydö expert Lennart Hildingsson, take us on a walk to reflect upon the relationship between culture and nature.

The walk goes through four places in the former mill area in Rydöbruk – including Eric Andersson’s public artwork “Kulturarvet Sågverkstomten” – during which, together with our guides, we reflect on a site’s natur- and cultural values, the wounds left by industrialization, its creative environments and possible future scenarios.

“Kulturarvet Sågverktomten” (Rydöbruk, Halland) by Eric Andersson and “Naturkulturreservatet Marhult” (Uppvidinge, Småland) by Timo Menke are two artistic projects that have its starting point in and discuss polluted places as cultural heritage. The projects were carried out without a connection to each other in 2023 and form the basis of this nature/culture walk.

All over Sweden there are thousands of polluted places, such as the former industrial sites or waste dumps, where the land has been contaminated either illegally or as part of a manufacturing process that was seen as modern in its time. Access is often prohibited due to pending remediation and the future of the sites remains uncertain. The interaction between culture and nature is brought to a head with devastating consequences for waterways, nature and animals. These sites are undeniably part of a national cultural heritage, but how have the sites been managed and how do we see them today? What role do they play in our shared environment? How can these sites be activated and discussed using artistic methods and what can a future transformation of them look like?