In the middle of Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, you can now see – or smell – the monument of dreams. A 265 square meter work of art, which, among other things, consists of an outdoor terrace with a view of the avenue and which has been given the title “Drömmarnas bajs”.
On Tuesday afternoon, the artists were visited by two environmental inspectors from the city of Gothenburg, to follow up on a couple of complaints. Partly due to loud music being played after eleven o’clock in the evening, partly because someone reported that there were buckets of faeces at the site – which is therefore correct.
– There has been a real buzz in the town, and there have been widely divergent opinions about this. Some love it and some hate it, but it is above all the poo and the smell that has caused outrage, says TV4’s reporter Karl Tholin, who reports directly from Avenyn in Gothenburg.
But Tholin thinks the rumors are unfair.
– I don’t feel any unpleasant odors that are not usually felt here, he says.
The point of the artwork, according to the artist himself, is to question culture and the place of art in society. What is the place of art, what space is given to it and who decides what a city should look like.
– And then, among other things, they have chosen to throw up this rather large work of art in a central location in Gothenburg.
Roderic Aarsse is one of those who took part in the artwork, and he is positive about the initiative.
– It made me stop, I like it, something is happening. I have to look a little more carefully to understand, but I think the artists have a message, he says.
Even Oliver Åhs, a visitor to the site, likes what he sees – despite the smell of poo.
– I think it’s nice. It’s very exciting forms and it says a lot of fun too, he says.
The plan is for the Monument of Dreams to be dismantled on August 30, reports Göteborgsposten. Parts of the construction will be distributed across Western Sweden. “The caravans that are on the site will go to Dalsland and Floda respectively, the outhouse may end up in a sculpture park in Skåne,” writes the newspaper.
If nothing else, the art of pooing has engaged a lot of people.
– At least it has created debate, so if that is the point of the art, then it has succeeded, says Karl Tholin.