Measurement of Time
Digital print on glass with ceramic paint, 1700 x 800 cm, 2018.
Public artwork, Umeå university, Umeå.

The artwork consists of two parts: A cross-section of a pine tree trunk magnified 3,500 times and printed on the glass facade (17 240 x 8 040 mm), as well as the original cross-section presented in the foyer (75 x 26 mm).

My starting point was in viewing the building as a place of education, first and foremost. Therefore I chose a scientific material (which can be found in my previous works) where the organic is central. There was also a clear ambition to work interdisciplinarily - the choice of motif creates a connection to Umeå Plant Science Center and SLU, which are neighbouring institutions.

The motif has two points of view. From the outside, the beholder is given a chance to experience the motif in its entirety, revealing the pith, medullary rays, heart wood, growth rings, resin canals, spring wood, summer wood and bark. From the interior, only one small section at a time is viewable. Instead, cells, vessel bundles, tissue and stomata appear due to the high resolution. The extreme magnification becomes a metaphor for education; when you are inside the building, you have all the pieces - when you get out, you get the whole.

As a complement to the facade, the original cross-section sample is presented in the stairwell. That makes it easier for a beholder to understand the scale and bodily relate to the artwork. It also becomes a way to introduce the actual material, in all its smallness, and to connect the indoor environment to the tree plantations outside.