Värk

“Värk” was commissioned from glass artist Björn Friborg as part of the project “Post-Pandemic Tourism Development”, funded by the Kamprad Family Foundation. The project was led by Cornelius Holtorf, professor of archaeology and UNESCO Chair in Heritage Futures, and Stephan Reinhold, associate professor of tourism studies.

Björn Friborg’s free-blown glass sculptures express global pain through forms that open like wounds, raw and exposed. The work speaks to our time and to the vulnerability of our planet – smaller and more fragile than we often realise, a world that bleeds and suffers every day.

The piece connects to key themes of the project: global perspectives, change and sustainability. The organic sculpture is made up of two parts.

In 2025, Linnaeus University will loan the artwork to Kalmar County Museum, where it will also be a local attraction for visitors.

Maja Heuer, Programme Developer at Kalmar County Museum, on the exhibition “Värk”

In his work Värk, Danish-born artist Björn Friborg focuses on the intimate process of exposing and revealing human and planetary vulnerability. We live in a global, ever-changing world where the wounds and pain we inflict on each other and our surroundings gape wide and sometimes feel insurmountable. Yet, just like Pandora’s box, there is hope and the possibility to heal these wounds, to understand one another, to labour through and create a better, more sustainable future for us all.

Global

Friborg’s free-blown works make our global pain visible through sculptures that, violently penetrated, open themselves to everyone like a painful wound. The piece evokes thoughts of our present time, of our fragile planet, which is so much smaller than we imagine; a planet that is bleeding, suffering and being wounded every day. Climate change, wars, and violations of human rights leave deep scars, and the clock keeps ticking ever faster.

Friborg invites the viewer to share a single moment – the moment when vulnerability is at its most extensive and tangible. Sometimes the cavities in the glass are small and delicate, like a beautiful poem; sometimes they are an unbearable hole, a gaping, endless wound in our planet that never seems to heal. It is almost impossible to resist gently touching the edges of the hollow cracks and depressions, if only to offer comfort and help them heal.

Changeable

Friborg’s two-part organic sculpture also works with the continuous changeability of existence. Everything is fluid; there are no boundaries. The upper form flows into the lower form and transforms it – and vice versa. Our earth and our present are constantly transforming. What may be a “truth” today can take on an entirely different meaning tomorrow. New conditions put things into new perspectives and change our understanding. Every day is a new day when everything is reborn; anything can happen; nothing is static. Everything is possible.

Sustainable

The work is also about sustainability – about creating a sustainable future together. From all wounds and cracks, we must “labour through” to bring forth our tomorrow on this planet. Friborg’s work reminds us to be honest and show the wounds, to acknowledge the pain and reveal our personal motives, deepest feelings, thoughts and experiences to one another. It will hurt, but only together can we heal. And that is precisely how the glass sculpture Värk was produced: through united efforts in a team in the glass studio, where everyone focused on capturing a single intimate moment – a second – when the hot glass opens up and reveals all its vulnerability.

Projektet Post-Pandemic Tourism Development

This one-year project, funded by the Kamprad Family Foundation, explored how the tourism industry coped with the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. Led by Cornelius Holtorf, Professor of Archaeology and UNESCO Chair in Heritage Futures, and Stephan Reinhold, Associate Professor of Tourism Studies, the project focused on summer tourism in Småland and Öland.

Researchers studied how local tourism actors responded to the immediate challenges of the pandemic and how they planned for the future. The project also looked at long-term opportunities for sustainable development, including the impact on the local UNESCO World Heritage site and connections to the UN’s Agenda 2030 goals.

The Artist Björn Friborg

Björn Friborg trained at Kosta and Åfors glassworks, where he early on learned to focus on the craft-based working process and developed his hands-on aesthetic. After graduating from The Royal Danish Academy of Architecture, Design and Conservation, he worked as Artistic Director at The Glass Factory in Boda, where he further developed his own artistic practice.

Today, Friborg is Hot Shop Manager at Holmegaard Works in Denmark, where he works to advance contemporary glassmaking practices in both Danish and international contexts. Friborg’s work is highly project-based, and he is involved in international art projects around the world.

Webpage for the project Post-Pandemic Tourism Development

Project Report: Post-Pandemic Tourism Development – Navigating Uncertainty in the Visitor Economy

UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures