SELECTED PROJECTS

2013–14
DU – DIALOGUE FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT, a research project focusing on public space, citizens’ dialogue and urban development. The project was executed in four different locations in greater Stockholm in 2013 – 2014: Slussen in central Stockholm, the districts of Rinkeby-Kista and Husby and the suburb Botkyrka south of the city. In each of the places various sub-projects was developed in dialogue with residents, associations and local authorities. The activities included workshops, city walks, public artwork, publications and exhibitions.

DU was carried out in dialogue with The Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University, KTH- The Royal Institute of Technology Division of Urban and Regional Studies Department of Urban Planning and Environment and Svensk Byggtjänst.

Cooperating partners:  The Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, The College of Printmaking Arts, Grafiska Sällskapet, Botkyrka kommun, Tumba konsthall, Husby konsthall, Husby konst och hantverksförening, Stockholms Stadsmuseum, Data och Systemvetenskapen vid Stockholms universitet, Stockholms stad, Kulturtavlorna, Ny syn på Slussen, Kulturbryggan, Konstfrämjandet, KAC (kistaartcity), Kista Galleria och Norra Sidan.

2014
A MODEL FOR A QUALITATVE SOCIETY, a pilot study for DU- dialogue for urban development. A Model… was located in the districts of Rinkeby-Kista. The project started in 2011 and ended in 2013. Participants was children and young people, in collaboration with invited artists and architects.

Cooperating partners: Kulturbryggan, Björinge preschool invited artists and Kista galleria.

THE NEW KISTA SCIENCE CITY MODEL, a research- and exhibition project focusing on public space and local identity in the Rinkeby-Kista area of Stockholm. The New Kista… was exhibited and presented within the framework of PERFORMING THE COMMONat Husby konsthall and Moderna Museet, Stockholm 2014.

Cooperating partners: Husby konsthall, Kista galleria and the Department for Computer and System Science at Stockholm University and the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Royal Institute of Technology.

2011–2013
PERFORMING THE COMMON, a research project focusing on public- and common space in Rinkeby-Kista/Stockholm. The project was initiated by Karin Hansson in collaboration with Johanna Gustafsson Fürst, Thomas Liljenberg, Stockholm University, the Royal Institute of Fine Arts, the Department for Computer and System Science at Stockholm University and the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Royal Institute of Technology.

Performing the Common was presented in an exhibition at Husby Konsthall and Moderna Museet, Stockholm 2012. Participating artists: Johanna Gustafsson Fürst, Thomas Liljenberg, Karin Hansson, Stefan Rusu, Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas, Shakir Attiyah, Per Hasselberg, Nils Claesson, Shiva Anoushivani, Åsa Andersson Broms, Love Ekenberg, Göran Cars, Anna Hesselgren, Ingrid Jansson, Siri Tolander, Greta Weibull, Shida Shahabi, Patricia & Natalia Aramburu, Giacomo Castagnola, Daniela Lazoroska, Mirko Lempert, Nathalie Wuerth, Rut Karin Zettergren, Ami Kohara, Valentin Brutaru and Jacquelyn Davis.

2009–2013
STREET CORNER TALKING, a variable text- and light installation consisting of a 16 x 4.5 metre long large glass wall that covered the entire corner of Kista Mall facing out towards Jan Stenbecks Plaza in Kista. The project started in 2009 and ended in 2014.**

Cooperating partners: Kista Mall, Byrån för lika Rättigheter i Kista, Megafonen, Husby Konst & Hantverksförening, Husby Bibliotek, Kista Bibliotek, Joe Doe Agency, local government, business, schools, citizens and associations.

2007–2008
K>SE, a reserch project about art and social entrepreneurship, in collaboration with Ingegerd Green and Hans Andrén and with support from Chalmers/KK-stiftelsen, Gothenburg–Stockholm.

Cooperating partners: KK-stiftelsen under ledning av CIP vid Chalmers och Apprino AB i nära samarbete med nationella och regionala aktörer i Västra Götalands regionen.

KUNSKAPSRESAN, a development project for the Säffle Municipal in collaboration with Ingegerd Green. Kunskapsresan riktade sig i första hand till tjänstemän och företagare, med fokus på frågor kring samhällsentreprenörskap, demokrati, hållbarhet och kultur. Projektet finansierades med stöd från Säffle kommun och utvecklades i nära dialog med det regionala utvecklingsprogrammet, Värmland växer och Hållbar värmländsk växtkraft 2004-2007 samt Framtidens kompetenser från arbetsgruppen för Nordisk tänkartank om framtidens kompetenser vid Nordiska ministerrådet, 2005.

2005–07
DIRECT, a project about art and city development  in Stockholm, Kista, Alby, Vårby gård and Tensta. The project started in 2006 and ended in 2007 and was located and realized in a number of places in greater Stockholm: both in the suburbs and in the city proper. Public project offices hade been opened there in dialog with the citizens, the locations and local politics.

Direct had an overall structure initiated by Thomas Liljenberg and Hans Andrén. The structure included measures to develop competence as well as a vision and a platform/network for artistic and commercial development with a focus on social mobilization and social capital. The project provided training in production, and the participants either brought their own projects into Direct or initiated projects while taking part in Direct. The participants was artists, architects, filmmakers, designers, scientists, entrepreneurs, civil servants and residents.

Participating artists: Cecilia Parsberg, Michael Ellburg, Sofia Häyhtiö, Anna Eriksson, PG Hylén, Frédéric Iriarte, Britta Kleen, Gunilla Larsén, Fredrika Linder, Lucas Lund, Henrik Lörstad, Per Milstam, Martha Podell, Helena Riverstål, Per Stadigh, Johan Stone, Bo Samuelsson och Peter Svedberg.

Cooperating partners: ESF (European Social Fund), Subtopia, SABO, Svenska Bostäder, Karma kvinnocenter, SLUP, ES 2.0 i Tensta, Kulturarbetsförmedlingen / Stockholm and Coompanion / Stockholm.

2005–2017
KAC (Kista Art City), a platform for participatory art, teaching, research and experiment with subjects related to public space and contemporary art practices located in Rinkeby-Kista–Stockholm.**

KAC was located in one of Stockholm’s most expansive suburbs regarding to business, research and urban development. At the same time Rinkeby-Kista is one of the most segregated urban areas in Sweden. Here international businesses, research and urban development exist – next door to segregation and social problems. Thereby Rinkeby-Kista illustrates in many ways the division in society, in which different socioeconomic worlds are woven together and where the residents are separated from one another by invisible walls. A fundamental thought behind the project was that art can play a more prominent role in the development and understanding of the city. Not primarily as traditional public art– but as an autonomous opportunity for citizens to recreate, experiment and rethink the city and society as a collective, shared work.The questions that arose within the project was thereby intimately connected with the individuals’ democratic “right” to live, express themselves, use and influence the shaping of the city and their own identity.

Cooperating partners: Wasakronan, Kista Science City, Interaktiva institutet, Rinkeby-Kista district administration, Kulturbryggan, Innovativ kultur, Megafonen, Kista bibliotek, Husby bibliotek, Beckmans designhögskola, KTH-arkitektur och samhällsbyggnad, Kista Mall, and others.

2002 –2004
MEDBORGARCENTRUM (CITIZEN CENTER) 2002–2004, a proposal for a new public center in Vårby gård by Thomas Liljenberg and Anders Krüger in collaboration with architects Erik Stenberg and Rajmo Voss, cityplanner Galip Bozkurt and model maker Lars Svensson.

Medborgarcentrum was a proposal based on the idea of developing a new center in Vårby gård: a Citizen Center, in conjunction with Vårbyskolan, the existing Junior High School located in Vårby gård. The project started in 2002 in conjunction with the project KULTURKONTORET and gradually developed in close dialogue with different people in Vårby gård and Huddinge County: inhabitants, local politicians and the headmaster of Vårbyskolan and many others.

/…”The project proposes a transformation and rebuilding of Vårby skolan (the present Junior High School) into a culture and learning institute open for all citizens in the community. A central part of the proposal consists of a new four-storey glass building, centrally placed and integrated into the school. The building creates space and new conditions for bringing together various ongoing local initiatives, such as a local library, a Children’s Art Museum, a Citizen Center and a Cafeteria. The synergy between the activities brought together is the core of the project and its objective to highlight education and culture as the heart and future of Vårby gård”…/ (excerpt from the presentation MEDBORGARCENTRUM, Liljenberg/Krüger, 2005)

The various stages of the project were presented on several occasions and invited the inhabitants, local organisations and politicians to participate in the process. In the beginning of 2004, Medborgarcentrum was presented along with an architectural scale model at Demokratiforum, a political forum organised by County politicians and citizens of Vårby gård. Liljenberg and Krüger had also included in their project team; architects Erik Stenberg and Rajmo Voss, city planner Galip Bozkurt, and model maker Lars Svensson. In 2005, the project also participated in the architectural competition that Huddinge municipality held regarding the development of Vårbyskolan and Vårby gård centrum.

2002–2005
KULTURKONTORET I VÅRBY GÅRD, a public artproject in the Stockholm suburb Vårby gård. Eight artists met the public, the site and politics in a project that investigated the borders of the role of art in public space. The project was initiated in 2002 by Thomas Liljenberg in co-operation with Af-Kultur and Storstadssatsningen (The Metropolitan Development Initiative) in Huddinge Municipal, Sweden. Stockholm

Cooperating partners: Huddinge Municipality, AF-kultur, invited artists, Konstnärsnämnden, IASPIS, local business, schools, citizens and associations.

1983–1984
FIREWORK CENTRALLAGRET, a small gallery in Stockholm*

1978–
FIREWORK in collaboration with Leif Elggren, Stockholm. Firework is the name of the group that Leif Elggren and Thomas Liljenberg founded in 1978 and under which they have put on several exhibitions, performances and sub-projects. As a result of the philosophical discussion engendered by the underlying essence of this work, a small publishing company, FIREWORK EDITION, was started in 1979. It has since then brought out many books and other printed matter, multiples and records and put on a number of exhibitions, not only by the founders, but also as a result of collaboration with various other artists.

*In collaboration with Leif Elggren

** In collaboration with Bo Samuelsson