Last month marked the end of Kalle Brolin’s third residency at BAC, Visby from September 12-22, 2024.

In his own words, he shares his experience:

“The third residency focused on creating an art video to sum up the project. I revisited people and places from previous residencies and added new ones. Along with BAC, we recorded a conversation with two participants from the evening school, discussing the role of art in movements, recorded at the home of Hans and Maud Söderberg, veterans of the 1980s peace movement in Gotland.

I proposed a Peace Talk similar to the March sessions, but it fell through due to scheduling issues with involved organizations. Instead, I documented an evening organized by Svenska Freds- och Skiljedomsföreningen with a guest speaker on Swedish arms exports.

The main focus was the art video Freden på Gotland (“Peace on Gotland”). I filmed new footage and secured rights to archival material. Among those revisited was Kerstin Blomberg in Fårö, who provided images from her work with Ukrainian refugees. I also visited a collection point for materials sent to Ukraine. My visit was a mix of conversation and helping with tasks around her farmhouse.

I returned to the eco-village Suderbyn, near a military shooting range, where I shot new footage and obtained press images from the Swedish army and NATO for the video. These contrasting images of peace work and peacekeeping will be edited together.

These experiences and images will be best presented in the final video.”

Kalle Brolin
Malmö, October 2024

Images:

1. Gotland for Palestine: Protester showing her olive branch tattoo.
2. Bang ‘72: Stone commemorating the Bang experiment.
3. Suderbyn eco-village: Residential building with a military shooting range in the background.