Other hydro powers Lekgruset Ammeran

Other hydro powers
Lekgruset, Ammerån

Lekgrus i Ammerån, a part of the project Other hydro powers, supported by Swedish arts grants committee. The project connect several rivers and their nearby peoples in Sweden and Canada.
In collaboration with Eco streams for life, Jämtland and Grevåkerskolan Hammerdal.
Lekgrus = spawn gravel, where in Swedish the word for spawn is the same as for play..
From an initial field trip meeting with biologists of the eco streams for life project that restores (amongst others) the river Ammerån, and their explanations to us what they are working on, we especially took with us the word Lekgrus (spawn gravel). The word inspired us to reach out to children living near the river, and together with Grevåkerskolan in Hammerdal, we could set up a collaboration around the river ecosystems, and particularly the way fish use gravel as a nursery for their young.
The school and teachers of 4 classes (60 kids) planned together with us and the biologists a week dedicated to the river in May 2025. In this week we held workshops making tiny sculptures of river clay for the spawning fish together, the children studied river eco systems, the history of rafting in the river, and the life and family making of the trout and other fish. On the last day we went out to Ammerån, and placed the Lekgrus in the river bed.  The biologists from eco streams for life showed us a suitable place, and presented their work with restauration of the river.  For every tiny sculpture that was lowered into the water, a greeting from the young artist to the young fish was written and drawn with watercolor. Many of them was wishing the young fish good luck, and many wished to catch and eat the fish once it was grown up. Which would be about the same time as the human kids would be young adults. Given, of course, that Ammerån still runs healthy and alive between Solbergsvattnet and Indalsälven then.

New commons Guest habitat

New commons, Guest habitat

New Commons (Skogen, Kultivator, Ställbergs Gruva/Folkets Hus)

In the New Commons project, concrete examples and suggestions are implemented, built and organized on how cultural actors can develop new commons, organize resource sharing and drive processes for increased local resilience. Ställbergs Gruva is involved in developing a cultural center organized jointly with the associations and the municipality of Kopparberg. In Gothenburg and Mariestad, Skogen is practically and theoretically experimenting with sharing systems and new models and methods. Kultivator on Öland is creating a residence and village-wide meeting place that enables hosting based on local organization and local resources.

more info here.

Letters to the Future Grasslands

Letters to the Future Grasslands

With some of the collected droppings from the horses taking part in the interventions with the artwork during the summer, the artists will prepare a paper pulp. In this, the collected seeds for the future grasslands will be mixed. In the workshop, school children will use it to make letters to the future Grasslands, together with Kultivator, with drawings and writings from the children.  The letters will be brought to the Future Grasslands and buried/installed in the ground.

Commoning days in Denmarks Heathlands

Commoning days in Denmarks Heathlands

Meeting the living practice of shepherding of Berit Killerich as part of the project Hosting Lands, we have been most generously hosted in the landscape of sheep, wild horses, wind and and clay. And had so much fun making the Faelledovnen together with Vestjyllands Hojskole

Research for the project Other hydro powers 

Research for the project Other hydro powers 

Field meeting with Ammerån and the inspiring restauration project Eco streams of life. Here kilometers of waterways and hundreds of spawning grounds for fish is being restored, creating long term improvement for all life in the waterway. How is this interwoven with people’s memories, the cultural heritage, and future community life with the river? What are the #othehydropowers here?
with support from Konstnärsnämnden.