Selma Lagerlofs Square from David Molander on Vimeo.

Series First Nature (2010)

Selma Lagerlof’s Square was built in 1971 in the outskirts of Gothenburg. Situated in a road land, it’s built with a rational and modernistic idea of efficiency and functionality, a prime example of Swedish Modernism.

But the square holds a deep contradiction. It’s named after the Swedish national story teller Selma Lagerlof. Small traces of her shimmering world can still be found in the parking lots and the desolate pathways. A wall etching from 1982 says: “Fantasize” and related names and statues can be found in the corners. On the flags and logotypes of the Square – Nils Holgersson, one of Selma’s fictional characters, can be seen leaving his dull life behind, taking to the skies on the back of a goose. 

All the content in the images are carefully collected from the site. Every street light, trash can, and sign have been gathered into a condensed inventory of the location.  

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