Art and Elk

We knew, as soon as we spotted 160 mens jackets hanging in the trees, that we'd arrived at the Umedal sculpture park!  Actually, this proved to be one of our favourite images of the park for wherever we were, that interesting line cut through the trees and caught our eye.  Each jacket was different, each one connected to its mate by the sleeves, forming quite a chummy kind of conga party in the tree tops. (Kaarina Kaikkonen, A Path 2004)

Looking around in the area marked for an Antony Gormley figure (Another Time VIII, 2007), we ought to have known where to look.  As it was, it took us some minutes...

We weren't really looking for #1 on our map but Tra spotted it from afar and couldn't quite believe her eyes until it dawned on her that this too was an exhibit.(Lin Peng, A New Perspective, 2004)

So began the conversation.  Is this art or is it something left by a worker?  (Art: Roland Persson, Untitled painted bronze)

Spot the art here: the orange is art, the rest building work (Mats Bergqvist, Flip 2006)

The art didn't finish when we left the sculpture park, because the road to the Elk Farm was named the "Art Route" and we had a couple of items to look out for.  We nearly missed the first: a small brick built hearth in a wooded corner of a layby.  The second was somewhat easier to spot - not only did we now know how these things were signed, we'd seen plenty of images of the broken glass church and felt sure that this one qouldn't be so easy to miss.

As it was, the signs were almost larger than the church itself, which was pretty small and insignificant among the birch trees.  After such riches this morning, we ticked this one off pretty quickly and moved on.

To the elks.

To seven youngsters, less than a month old.  Very friendly and rather cute.

and four rather larger members of their family.  Gentle, slow and partial to a banana or two, they were surprisingly large and overpowering close up.  We enjoyed our encounter though.

Finally, at last, we got to see the Open Source Embroidery exhibition which offered loads of food for thought.  We had images bluetoothed to our phones, read 2D barcodes (remember this?) and saw plenty of things which set our minds reeling and, in my case, needing explanation from the more IT conversant partner.

It was a hugely thought-provoking exhibiton but both of us actually preferred the more conventional centenary craft co-op exhibit next door, which I got to see for a second time.

Home tomorrow with lots to think about, a few treasures from the trip and both of us ready for a dark night or two.