Please, be seated

One of my favorite motives when out with the Canon, doing street photography, is people sitting on benches. So here are a few recent examples. A girl at Norrmalmstorg, the square that gave us the term The Stockholm Syndrome back in the 1970s. Next, a nearly naked guy looking towards the Cultural Centre. And in the third snap a photo of Sergels torg, the most famous square in the city. In the fourth photo a curved bench near a water feature at Brunkebergstorg where you will find Sveriges Riksbank, a few restaurants and the entrance to the oldest mall, Gallerian. Lastly, One sock on, one sock of guy at Sergelgatan.

Kids Wall

I spent three years as a student at the Jordbromalmsskolan back in the late 1970s. The school sits next to the shopping centre where we spent a lot of time. Both will be gone soon. The school was a cultural centre for the last decade, but closed a couple of years ago. These murals can be found on a wall at the shopping centre, they were made with the help of the Jordbro World Orchestra two years ago. A new school opened nearby a few years ago, I remember snapping a few shots when that construction started a decade ago now. A new mall will be built closer to the commuter station in Jordbro, and a number of apartment buildings will be built where the shopping centre and school buildings stands today.

Architecture and Lifestyle

How do you like these buildings? Funky is what I call them. The top one is a hotel, the second one a shop and a (closed), cafe at Ytterjärna. The architect was danish, Erik Asmussen. He got his inspiration from Goetheanum. These buildings are part of the Anthroposophy Centre at Ytterjärna. I don't do religion, but I do like my coffee and my architecture.

A man and a woman

Two recent candid snaps. The guy in the top photo is a local musician, as well as a new dad, and possibly a fan of Björn Borg. I have seen his band perform once or twice. Snapped that photo while at the cafe. I don't know the woman in the second photo but I found her photogenic in that orange top. I snapped that one outside the cultural centre at Poseidon's square.

An AcQuire (d) taste

AcQuire performing at the cultural centre, (Haninge kulturhus). I had coffee with a few of the guys that usually sits around complaining about whatever at Malmens kondirori as the choir sang a Coldplay song from the stage next to the cafeteria. Totally sure that the complainers didn't pick up on that. Because on this occasion they complained about the singing, before leaving and walking past the outdoor stage where another concert was under way, and while walking past me one of the guys told me that the music from that stage was horrible. It was not, it was in fact the highlight of the day so photos from that performance by Linda Pira and her dancers to come later.

The female of the species...

..is more photogenic than the male. As noted while having coffee at the cultural centre (Kulturhuset), at Poseidon's Square in Handen earlier in the week.

Requiem for Peace?

The long black arm was suddenly there in front of the cultural centre in Handen. Then a few hours later when I passed by there again, it was gone. A mystery that needs to be solved.

The Poseidon Building

More testing of the Viltrox C-AF 2x Magnification Teleconverter Extender. Shot this handheld at 400mm from the Upper Lake at the Rudan nature reserve. Aiming the camera at the top of the ugly 15-storey, (49m), high-rise at Poseidons Torg, a central square that you walk through if you are going to and from the commuter station, the mall and the cultural centre in Handen. The monstrosity known as the Poseidon Building, (Poseidonhuset, was built back in the mid 1980s. In the foreground the top of the building that I showed you a detail of yesterday.

Entrance

I'm sure you could get a few culturals to praise this work of art at the cultural centre in Handen. They would talk about it's importance in this day and age, and how they liked the way the glass, stone and the wood interacted. And how the sound inside really surprised them. And then they would all use their smartphones to document this very significant work of art. At least until one of the workers walked in and continued the work of the replacing the revolving door that has been the entrance to the centre for the last 15 years.

Me fifth element - supreme being. Me protect you

Haninge Fantasy Games took place recently. By chance I noticed a photographer taking photos of a very colorful model outside the cultural centre in Handen so in my usual style I interrupted the proceedings and asked if I could join the fun. The photographer was Ice of Tin and the model Grimalcin Cosplay. Real name Elvina Ejstes. Elvina comes from Hara in Jämtland but is today based in Stockholm. She's in to Science Fiction and today she was dressed as Leeloo from The Fifth Element, one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich as Leeloo, the perfect being. I told Elvina that I was planning to watch Ghost in the Shell that night, and she told me that she was at the premier of that movie in Copenhagen, dressed then of course as Major Motoko Kusanagi, the role that Scarlett Johansson plays in that flick. I took a few quick photos with Elvina posing up against the wall at the cultural centre and then thanked both of them for letting me interrupt their photo session. Always great when you find someone like this by chance, the only reason I turned this way was that I spotted a friend at the Grillmaster, and when I turned around there was Elvina being photographed.

The Book Stacking Problem

This is not the original book stacking problem, but it is still a good one. This is the book stacking that you can see in the library at the cultural centre in Handen. Locally known as Boktornet, or The Book Tower, it will surprise most visitors to the library. It was created quite a few years ago now by the scenographer Annika Thore. And if you are curious about how it was made don't ask Annika because she prefers to keep that to herself!

Kulmen

A collage of photos from Kulmen's gig a the cultural centre in Handen on Thursday evening. They describe their music as Indie, pop, shoegaze, trad. All their songs are in Swedish. The members are Stefanie Kasper (keyboard), Sanna Lindström, Johannes Borg (guitar), Dennis Johansson and Charlie Persson. www.kulmen.band/

Soppa&Surr

Fun event at the cultural centre in Handen last night. My photos of the old tree were shown as a slideshow as three musical acts performed. Top left photo shows the organizer behind the event, Gunnar Borg during the presentation of my tree project. Third photo top row shows Lasse Forslund in action, he did a version of King's Call by Phil Lynott. He played for half an hour. Second row to the right shows Lasse and the choir performing The Lumberjack Song! Before that a trio played a little Bossanova. That was Hansi Baumgartner, Michael Vinsa and Marianne Something. The last act was a band called Kulmen, I will upload a few photos of them tomorrow. There was soup for the hungry and beer or wine for the thirsty, I was thirsty.

That Old Tree

Closing in on 500 photos of the old tree, this is № 497. There will be a celebration at the cultural centre in Handen on the sixth of April. A few bands will play and a couple of dancers will perform as a slideshow with photos of the tree can be seen on two big screens. The event is called Soppa&Surr and is organized by Gunnar Borg.

Exterior Lighting

Three new (arty), light fixtures at Poseidon's square in Handen, near the cultural centre and the mall. No idea if they are permanent, or an artwork, but anything that will light up the dark part of the year will get my approval.

Time to turn on the lights again

Fifty or so lamps like these lights up the path to the cultural centre in Handen for the second year running. An Installation by Olsson & Linder.

Different dress codes

Earlier in the week when I could still move around I shot a few candid photos of people coming and going at the big square outside the cultural centre in Handen.

Jonas Nobel

As I walked into the show room at the cultural centre in Handen yesterday, to look at the new exhibition by Jonas Nobel, the artist himself walked out with two friends. So I turned around and followed him to one of the outdoor sculptures, which are also part of his installation, and that's where I grabbed this portrait of Jonas. He talked a bit about his sculptures and the idea behind it which is Haninge's geological history. The objects in the showroom are office furniture and other items used around Haninge that have been covered in plastic film showing mineral structures from the island of Utö where lithium was discovered two centuries ago. Last photo shows one of three sculptures by along "Eskilsstråket". Haninge had a big laundry industry one century ago. This artwork is made from aluminium and rests on a base made from concrete it shows folded laundry. The exhibition is open for the next three months. If you speak the local lingo you can read more about the exhibition here.

Erik Hubendick

I was at Malmens Konditori yesterday afternoon. Enjoying coffee and a chat with my friend Jim when I suddenly noticed a guitar, seconds later a guy emerged from a car with the instrument in question. When he walked past our table I asked him if he was going to play something for us. What do you want to hear was his response. What's on the repertoire I asked. I play classical music answered Erik Hubendick. I then asked if he played professionally, but that he didn't do, he works as a bus driver. Turns out Erik had just bought the guitar at Blocket for 1000SEK. He told me that as he fine tuned it. When that was done we took a few photos and then he played a few classical tunes, including Für Elise by Beethoven. I then asked if he used to perform, he didn't, but when I told him about three possible gigs here in Handen he seemed very interested, so I will now set Erik in contact with Gunnar Borg who arranges live music both at the Cultural Centre and at Malmens Konditori and I will try to hook him up with Marcus Sohl for a chance to play in the Eskils church situated around the corner from where we were shooting the portrait. If it all happens I guess I could call myself musical manager and earn at least ten percent from Erik's future gigs!

Vernissage

There was a vernissage at Poseidons Gränd in Handen yesterday. The official unveiling of the artwork i gestaltningens tid, or The Moving Box which I called it in a post ten days ago. Made by Johan Thurfjelll. A small group gathered and three people spoke. First a local politician, Michael Fridebäck. Next to speak was Åsa Mårtensson from the cultural centre. She told us that the project had taken nearly three years to fulfil, and that it had been great working with Johan. And then, just as the artist himself started his speech, a moving truck arrived! It wasn't part of the act, but everyone laughed, and the artist mentioned it while telling us about his idea for the moving box made by bronze. The sealed box is filled with dreams written down by some of the people that live here today. The box will last for a Millennium. As he continued to talk a group of people started carrying out furniture from the truck. Very fitting. Last to speak was an actress, Anna Persson from RoJ-teatern who read a poem written by the artist. It can be seen on the granite walkway on the square. When the talking was over we had coffee and apple cake. Made by members from Tungelsta Folk & Trädgård.