Winter table
As part of the project “borderless//limitless,” Råstoff visited Kiruna from Friday, January 30, to Sunday, February 1.
February 9, 2026
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The purpose of the trip was to meet our collaborators on the Swedish side and to identify the final participants needed to realize the project.
Prior to the visit, a meeting had been arranged with Karin Westergren from Kiruna Konstgille and artist Mikael Fagerlund, who is participating in the project on the Swedish side. The meeting was scheduled to take place on Saturday at the premises of Kiruna Konstgille. From the Norwegian side, Maria Aspmo Berg, Raymond Næss Berg, Kristina Knoph Storås, Erik Fjukstad, and Adrian Jakobsen took part. We traveled together across the border by car and stayed in a rented apartment in the center of Kiruna.
We arrived in Kiruna on Friday afternoon, and after settling in, we went out for a shared dinner. By coincidence, we met the renowned Swedish photographer Hans Olof Utsi at the restaurant. He immediately showed great interest in the project, and we agreed to meet again before our return home.
Saturday began with Adrian and Raymond leaving to meet cinematographer Johan Tjärnberg, whom Adrian had already been in contact with. After a presentation of the project, he agreed to participate in the main project, taking responsibility for documentation on the Swedish side and collaboration with the other cinematographers.
Later that day, we visited the Kiruna Konstgille gallery, where Mikael Fagerlund is currently exhibiting together with Arne Bergh. Before the formal meeting, we were given a guided tour by Mikael Fagerlund, who presented his works in which he uses plexiglass to explore the interaction between color and light. We also saw Arne Bergh’s wooden sculptures, where the natural color variations of the wood contribute to shaping the experience of the sculptures’ expression.
Following the tour, we held a meeting together with Karin Westergren and Mikael Fagerlund. We reviewed the project plans, shared ideas and reflections on the overall concept, and discussed both the timeline and progress plan as well as the financial framework. The meeting confirmed that we share a common understanding of the project’s value and that we wish to develop it further through close collaboration, with solutions that benefit both the project and all involved parties.
Friendship, collaboration, and network-building are fundamental pillars of the project, and in this spirit, we have already agreed on a new visit to Kiruna in March, where we will, among other activities, take part in ice fishing and visit the Icehotel. Karin Westergren and Mikael Fagerlund also presented several ideas on how to identify one additional artist/mentor as well as young artists and participants for the main project, and they will take responsibility for further contact with these individuals.
Maria Aspmo Berg and Karin Westergren hold corresponding roles on the Norwegian and Swedish sides, respectively, and will continue to collaborate closely on application texts and budget work for the main project.
Saturday concluded with a shared meal and social gathering around the dining table in the apartment.
On Sunday, we managed one final meeting before returning home, when Raymond and Adrian met with photographer Hans Olof Utsi. He also expressed strong engagement with the project and wishes to participate further as a photographer on the Swedish side during the main project.
No trip is entirely without challenges, and this one was no exception. When we were about to drive home, it turned out that the rental car did not cope well with Kiruna’s freezing temperatures and refused to start. Fortunately, Erik is a member of NAF, and through roadside assistance we quickly got in touch with local support. Shortly afterward, our new hero, Jim, arrived in a worn-out Passat. After some first aid under the hood, the car was once again ready for the journey home.
The visit to Kiruna was a great success. We can now continue working on the main project with confidence that we have the necessary collaborators on the Swedish side, and that the final participants will be identified through Karin and Mikael. Responsibilities and next steps have been clarified, and we look forward to continuing the collaboration with all the knowledgeable, creative, and engaged people we have come to know. The next trip is already in the planning stages—this time to Rovaniemi, Finland.
As part of the project “borderless//limitless,” Råstoff visited Kiruna from Friday, January 30, to Sunday, February 1.