The Sea City

During the residency Ruta interviewed residents of Varberg. They were given space to travel back in time and remember their hometown as it was and ventilate feelings of attachment to the place.

She summarized the quotes from her interviews in the story The Sea City, in text form, as animation and as separate design projects in public spaces in Varberg. The film consists of individual quotes from the longer story, which Ruta wrote during the residence in Varberg, a text that consists of quotes joined together to form a poem where imagination and reality are mixed with memories.

In a retrospective reflection on his participation in the residency, Ruta writes

“I want to show the parallel lives that go on in the same place. With my project, I also want to investigate the components of cities that are rarely talked about: Emotions, moods, memories, unexpected and expected events. All that gives the city soul and transforms it from a backdrop to a collective, living place.”

The soundtrack was made by Lina Nyberg and David Stackenäs, and is available to listen to on Spotify. The seagulls’ voices are made by Mocki Malm and Mira-Li Nordenborg