The Four Elements is a large-scale public artwork commissioned for the new park at Götavallen in Borås, Sweden, part of the larger Viskans Park development. The project takes an architectural form: a stage that serves live performances including theatre, dance, and concerts. Beyond its utilitarian function, the work operates as a sculptural and aesthetic element in the park and as an identity-defining landmark for the area. The project began in 2024 with completion scheduled for spring 2027. I collaborated with Liljewall Architects on certain design aspects, but I am the sole author of the artistic vision.

Thematically, the design responds directly to the site's specific characteristics, reinforced through the concept of The Four Elements. The influence of these elements is striking: Water flowing in the nearby Viskan river and the region's persistent rain; Earth forming the structure and topography; Air refreshing the Götavallen area; and Fire as a metaphorical gathering force—a symbol of community, warmth, and shared experience. The stage and park embody this meeting place for the population. The work addresses the intersection of Nature and Culture—where human need, urban space, and the practical requirement for a gathering platform merge on both conceptual and material levels.

In designing the stage, I focused primarily on Earth and Fire. The vertical lines created by tree trunks on the hill behind the stage inspired the basic architectural expression—the structure becomes a condensed version of the adjacent forest grove. This tall building, partly open and partly closed, is shaped by a multitude of logs with dynamic design and varying heights that suggest movement and rhythm. The larger stage faces the park while a smaller stage addresses the forested mound. Interior surfaces reference Borås' urban cultural history through patterns derived from 1960s concrete ornaments from the Tempohuset building in central Borås, transformed into horizontal planes in the floor and ceiling—connecting a new expression with the city's modernist heritage. 

The stage design avoids static, rectangular expression, instead forming an organic contrast to the adjacent 1950s social housing and becoming an extension of nature itself. Through irregular densification and thinning of logs, dynamic spaces and height differences create feelings of movement and varying tempos. The stage is constructed from hand-debarked logs sourced from Borås forests, surface-treated with wood tar and linseed oil, and attached to an internal steel structure anchored in concrete foundations. Measuring 40 x 40 x 50 feet, the work emphasizes local ecology, circularity, and sustainability—utilizing the city's existing stock of felled tree trunks as urban/nature mining.