/ THE SCULPTURE “TEGN”

The design of the sculpture TEGN was created based on an analysis of the place near Bymuren 1 that was indicated by Kunsten Stiger. This is not a place where people will linger. It is a place for a landmark. A landmark requires a certain size and solidity in its expression. Therefore, I have chosen to work with granite, which, because of the material, exudes mass and heaviness. Which is in fact true, since the suggested sculpture weighs 16 tons. A very big part of the expression of a granite sculpture is the character of the stone itself. Therefore, I have chosen a beautiful reddish gray Tranås granite. The idea behind the sculpture is having a large block – 4.80 meter tall and 1.20 × 0.90 meter wide, which is cut up lengthwise, so the monolith becomes two columns that are opened and staggered a little, so you can see the inside surfaces. Inside the large block is a cavity from something that has disappeared. The large, massive granite block has contained a shape that shows up as a negative form, when it is split open. It is anybody’s guess what kind of print it is, and where it disappeared to. Perhaps it’s a fossil; perhaps the form hopped out and is somewhere else. You see, when the stone is being chiseled, I create the positive form, so the stonecutter can see what to chisel away. Thus, one day, the positive shape may appear somewhere else around town. The sculpture itself is hewn on the outside, but the two inner surfaces are satin finished, so you can truly see the beautiful structure of the granite. The ruggedness of the sculpture is expressed in it standing totally where it stands. It cannot be knocked over, you cannot climb on it, it is not subject to frost erosion, and it is not at risk for vandalism. It requires no maintenance. It is robust enough to survive the town by thousands of years. Granite originates in ancient times and is largely indestructible. The sculpture will be cut and installed by master stonecutter Anders Schannong.