Commissioned by cooperative housing company Riksbyggen, Solar Egg was designed by Mats Bigert and Lars Bergström to promote local dialogue and contemplation about the relocating of the city of Kiruna, located north of the Arctic Circle — forced by decades of mining. Assembling the 69 golden plates that create the exterior of the sauna requires 1,512 bolts and takes 4 to 5 days. Apart from Kiruna and Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden, it’s shared its warmth in Paris, Copenhagen, and Minneapolis. Due to the pandemic, it’s stayed cold for the past year, but is now back on the road, as part of the exhibition Expedition Konst (Expedition Art) at Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde in Stockholm.
— Solar Egg is one of our most successful collaborations ever. We get requests frequently from institutions around Europe to tour the sauna. The unique location of Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde in central Stockholm, combined with an exciting exhibition makes this a really special occasion. We hope that lots of people from all over the world will take the chance to experience the Solar Egg, says Mathias Sandberg, marketing and sales director at Riksbyggen.
— It’s also a perfect opportunity to focus on the climate issue and talk more about a sustainable society, Riksbyggen’s CEO Johanna Frelin adds.
Spectators and tourists visiting Stockholm will be able to book the sauna with the wood burners at a comfortable 80° C via the museum. Expedition Konst is open until 20 March, 2022.
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