Temporary installation LIV no 8 Algutsrum Smålandstriennalen 2026
The word LIV [LIFE], an existing land art piece consisting of raised earth letters, has been partially covered with yellow recycled silage plastic. This material is a common sight across the fields of Öland. It creates a covering with a dual meaning: it both protects and suffocates the vegetation underneath. Anne Hamrin Simonsson wants to explore how life can be shielded from threats, both from within and from the outside.
The yellow color also symbolizes support for the Swedish Child Cancer Foundation (Barncancerfonden).
The site was once intended to house a museum for the "sun painter" Per Ekström. Just a stone's throw from the installation, Öland's oldest archaeological discovery was found — a flint artifact dating back to the Stone Age. Within geology, it is believed that life originated in clay, as the earliest evidence of life on Earth has been found in shallow seas on the planet's surface. The artwork serves as a metaphor for life in the text-based land art piece LIV, where growth also occurs on the earthen mounds. Öland wheat (Ölandsvete) was previously grown on the earthen letters of LIV.
Supported by the Öland Club (Ölandsklubben), Mörbylånga Municipality, Trioplast and Mittlandsgården.
Öland´s largest artwork comes back to life – wrapped in plastic (pdf), article by Amandus Gustafsson, Barometern OT, June 11, 2026
Temporary installation LIV no 8 Algutsrum Smålandstriennalen 2026
The word LIV [LIFE], an existing land art piece consisting of raised earth letters, has been partially covered with yellow recycled silage plastic. This material is a common sight across the fields of Öland. It creates a covering with a dual meaning: it both protects and suffocates the vegetation underneath. Anne Hamrin Simonsson wants to explore how life can be shielded from threats, both from within and from the outside.
The yellow color also symbolizes support for the Swedish Child Cancer Foundation (Barncancerfonden).
The site was once intended to house a museum for the "sun painter" Per Ekström. Just a stone's throw from the installation, Öland's oldest archaeological discovery was found — a flint artifact dating back to the Stone Age. Within geology, it is believed that life originated in clay, as the earliest evidence of life on Earth has been found in shallow seas on the planet's surface. The artwork serves as a metaphor for life in the text-based land art piece LIV, where growth also occurs on the earthen mounds. Öland wheat (Ölandsvete) was previously grown on the earthen letters of LIV.
Supported by the Öland Club (Ölandsklubben), Mörbylånga Municipality, Trioplast and Mittlandsgården.
Öland´s largest artwork comes back to life – wrapped in plastic (pdf), article by Amandus Gustafsson, Barometern OT, June 11, 2026
Tillfällig installation LIV no 8 Algutsrum Smålandstriennalen 2026
Ordet LIV, ett befintligt konstverk i landskapet bestående av uppbyggda bokstäver formade av jord, har delvis täckts av gul återvunnen ensilageplast. Materialet är en vanlig syn på Ölands åkrar. Det blir ett täcke med dubbel innebörd: det både skyddar och kväver växtligheten under. Anne Hamrin Simonsson vill undersöka hur liv kan skyddas mot hot, både inifrån och utifrån.
Den gula färgen symboliserar även stödet till Barncancerfonden.
Platsen var en gång tänkt att inhysa solmålaren Per Ekströms museum, ett stenkast från installationen har Ölands äldsta fynd hittats – ett föremål av flinta från stenåldern. Inom geologin menar man att livet uppkom i lera då äldsta beviset för liv på jorden har funnits i grunda hav på jordens yta. Konstverket verkar som en metafor för liv i det textbaserade land art verket LIV där det även växer på jordkullarna. På jordbokstäverna LIV växte Ölandsvete tidigare i projektet.
Med stöd från Ölandsklubben, Mörbylånga kommun, Trioplast, Mittlandsgården
Ölands största konstverk får nytt liv – i plast (pdf), artikel av Amandus Gustafsson, Barometern OT, 11 juni 2026
