Untitled Document

state of affairs - the swedish miracles a guide to Sweden		production year	2002
		media	photography, video, printed matter
		concept, presentation	Jacob Kamp, Annika Lundgren,

State Of Affairs - The Swedish Miracles is a physical travel-guide to Sweden, and a comment on the nation’s political climate since the assasination of Swedish state minister Olof Palme and the fall of the Swedish social democratic era. Acknowledging a need for miracles in Sweden at this point in time, the piece features a series of modern day versions, intended to function as symbols of hope and a source of comfort.

The piece was presented through text and photography along with a video-documentary interviewing people having witnessed or experienced the miracles

A project in collaboration with Danish architect Jacob Kamp.
Produced for and presented at Transport, a Swedish art-event initiated by Stefan Karlsson

The Swedish Miracles:

Over the last thirty years, several unexplicable occurences have been observed in different communities all over Sweden. During the 70’s, a single incident was registered, while in the 80’s, the number had allready increased by 100 percent. The 90’s produced as many as five, and allthough we have not yet seen the end of the first year of the millenium, three incidents have allready occurred in eight months.

The phenomenon is obviously accelerating fast, and a group of Swedish socionoms are currently discussing the possible connection between the “miracles” and the general development of the country. The occurrences seem to appear mainly in connection with public institutions and service facilities in heavily populated areas, with a tendency to congregate in the suburbs. Defying science, their source and meaning are still obscure to physisists as well as theologists. The Swedish church has chosen not to comment upon the phenomenon as yet.

Sweden is not the only country in Europe to have experienced these so called miracles, and as a consequence, the European Union has letely formed a special comitty, representing both scientific and political experts to investigate and analyze the situation.

In the wake of the as yet unexplicable phenomenon, an increasing wave of rumours have appeared, spun around it’s origins; tales of visiting aliens, the return of Elvis Presley and the second coming of Christ are circulating all over Europe, severely complicating any serious investigations, and causing a large amount of people to make pilgrimages to the places where the incidents have been observed.

To eliminate further speculation among the general public, our goal is to present an objective compillation of the facts concerning the Swedish Miracles registered so far.

Jacob Kamp and Annika Lundgren
August 2002

12/11 1978
Skarpnäck tubestation
Stockholm

From time to time since the above date, persons passing through one of the turnstiles of the station obtain a star-shaped mark in their left hand palms. The experience seems to provide a different outlook on life; some of the affected individuals use the word happy to describe this new state of mind.

3/3 1986
social wellfare center
Gärdehemsvägen 9, Trollhättan

Arriving in the morning, cleaning personal discovers wildflowers growing from the linoleum floors of the building. The flowers bloom for two weeks, until their sudden disappearance. Consulted botanists are unable to explain the incident.

15/6 1987
Mölndal Hospital
Göteborgsvägen 31, Mölndal

Over a period of one week, everyone comitted to the hospital have identical dreams. Allthough differing dramatically in content from night to night, they all contain episodes of talking animals, and are retold in exact detail by each of the patients, who all describe the dreams as bizarre but very enjoyable.

8/9 1991
Örtagård elementary school
Rosengård, Malmö

Just before the mid-day break, a small green cloud positions itself above the schoolyard on an otherwise clear sky, and for an unbroken 20 minutes, a soft rain is falling from it. It is later discovered that the children exposed to the rain suddenly are able to play the trombone, and also glow faintly in the dark.

19/9 1992
police station
Norra Agnegatan 33-37, Södertälje

In the afternoon of the above date, the building containing the police station levitates approximately seven centimeters. It is left hanging in mid-air for about thirty seconds and then slowly descends to the ground. The entire incident lasts slightly more than a minute, and is observed by several bypassers. A remakable fact is that the police-officers inside the building all fail to notice the event.

5/5 1996
carpark
Nöbbelövs Torg, Lund

It is on this day officially recognized that parking space number 152 on deck two posesses healing powers, as a young woman is unexpectedly and instantly cured from a severe case of psoriasis while parking her car. In retrospect, the space can also be connected to previous cases of sudden healing in the area. With time, this capacity seems to be fading away gradually; in the spring of 1997, not even a cold can be cured here.

26/8 1996
library
Rinkeby Center, Stockholm

As the librarian returns from her half-hour break, the institution is emptied of all books. They are discovered in the parkinglot next to the building, stacked on top of each other in a pile, several hundered meters high. The pile remains in perfect balance for an hour, then slowly collapses, without harming neither books nor the astonished spectators.

10/10 1998
petrol station
Alidelundsgatan, Borås

The manager of the station discovers strange noises emerging from the diesel-pump. On closer investigation, it turns out that the pump is humming classic ABBA-tunes. The phenomenon still takes place occationally, particularly on sunny Tuesday afternoons.

3/1 2000
cash-dispenser
Ekholmen Center, Linköping

On cash-withdrawal, the mashine occationally provides detailed and personal prophecies regarding the client in question, printed on the receipt. While initially dismissed as an advertisment campaign for the bank, they soon prove to be fulfilled in detail and are now taken very seriously indeed.

12/3 2000
tanning-center
Dragongatan, Umeå

A number og women has since the date above fallen pregnant after utilizing one of the tanning-beds in the facility. Tests carried out at Umeå University Hospital have failed to classify the children racially, but indicate a mix of heritages. The idéa of immaculate conception has been brought forward, but has been dismissed in general.

21/6 2002
telephone booth
Stationsgatan, Borlänge

Since the month of June this year, 15 different people have independently reported to have seen the late state minister Olof Palme passing by while using this public phone. According to several witnesses, the state minister was not visible from outside the booth. The citizens of Borlänge are currently debating the phenomenon.