// Big Trip Sweden 2024
This year’s Big Trip Committee made the incredible journey to the Arctic North, Sweden. During the 8-day-long trip, the students visited the historical capital of Stockholm, traveled by night train to Lulea, and eventually discovered Kiruna. The group connected with the planning office of the Stockholm Municipality which hosted a captivating workshop regarding urgent issues of segregation, growth, and sustainability in the Tensta neighborhood. And Kungliga Tekniska högskolan (KTH university) provided the opportunity to learn about the university and shared captivating student projects. We were kindly welcomed by Andrea Luciani and Stefano Tornieri and their students from Lulea Tekniska Universitet where we participated in the workshop ‘Possible Kirunas’, discussing and conceptualizing alternatives for the urban transformation of the arctic mine town Kiruna.
After Lulea, we crossed the Arctic Circle, finally reaching Kiruna where we visited the LKAB mine through an educating tour and walked with Wesley Overklift through the old and new town of Kiruna. The Big Trip explored the transition of fascinating Swedish landscapes while learning, growing, and connecting accompanied by lots of fikas! All their experiences are captured and documented in the Big Trip Fieldwork Exhibition ‘Crossing Sweden: a Students’ Journal on Urban to Wild Landscapes’ and the documentary film ‘Reciprocal’.
Participants:
Anmol Bhargava, Bas Kramer, Charlotte Verkleij, Evgenia Vamvakousi, Jan Osusky, Jiheng Li, Kim Schneider, Kirthan Shekar, Maartje Franken, Melle Zschämisch, Merel Garritsen, Nancy Nguyen, Preksha Rautela, Vaibhav Bansal, Vera Vince, Willemijn Hoogland, Yi-an Lu
// Reciprocal
documentary film, 22'
Authors: Anmol Bhargava, Bas Kramer, Evgenia Vamvakousi, Jiheng Li, Kirthan Shekar, Nancy Nguyen, Preksha Rautela, Willemijn Hoogland, Yi-an Lu
RECIPROCAL is a documentary which explores the complex relationships sometimes obscured by economic growth between the production of steel, harm to the environment, and Indigenous rights. The film confronts viewers with the harsh realities hidden by technology growth as it moves through the layers of intricacy present in our modern society through the narrative. As the story develops, it reveals the hidden costs associated with the production of iron by Swedish state-owned company LKAB, exposing the negative effects industrialization has had on society and the environment. The conflict between tradition and modernity is brought to light by the encroachment of mining activities into areas that are surrounded by pristine landscapes and ancestral traditions. The documentary explores the ethical ramifications of switching to renewable energy sources while challenging the concept of sustainability in the context of the worldwide push for green technologies. The movie asks viewers to reconsider our relationship with nature and the true cost of progress through imagery and interviews. The intention is to remind of our shared responsibility to protect the environment and respect the rights of indigenous people.
The calls for action confronting environmental issues urge us to rethink our objectives and work towards harmony, while critically reflecting on ‘What is truly green?’
The trip was sponsored by:
// Crossing Sweden
Students’ Journal of Urban and Wild Landscapes exhibition
Authors: Charlotte Verkleij, Kim Schneider, Maartje Frencken, Maryam Naghibi, Melle Zschämisch, Merel Garritsen, Vaibhav Kumar Bansal
CROSSING SWEDEN, The Big Trip Fieldwork Exhibition, showcases the experiences of the students in Sweden along three themes: urban landscapes, cultural landscapes, and pristine landscapes. While capturing the various layers of urban and landscape structures, conditions, and elements, the fascinations and inspirations of the students are visualized through synthesized drawings connecting different perspectives. It portrays a vivid picture of Swedish urban life and design in three distinct cities regarding spatial quality and uses. It
touches upon the cultural human landscape exploring the strong connection of history, Scandinavian landscapes, and its crucial element of water. Finally, the exhibition captures the extravagant transition of territories from urban to wild, in-between landscapes, all ‘red’ threaded together by the key element and component of the trip, iron.