19. Vindla

ARTIST: Leif Bolter (1998)
TECHNIQUE: Stainless steel, aluminium and courtén steel

“Vindla was created for the Mount as a celebration of the elements, of light, heaven and wind, the vast landscape, a gesture of freedom that might bring you tranquillity and contemplation.”

This is what Leif Bolter, the artist, says about his own work. As the title Vindla indicates, the work, the bow, bends with the wind.

Leif Bolter was born in Stockholm in 1941 and is a Swedish artist. He attended both the Royal College of Fine Arts and the College of Arts, Craft and Design in Stockholm. In addition, he has studied at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London. Some of his public works are: Pulsating System of Co-ordinates in Malmö, Council Room at Hässelby Castle Park and Spiral Development in Borås. He also has another work in central Kumla entitled Light Organ.

He is also president of the Academy of Art and is also represented at the Museum of Modern Art.

Perhaps Bolter´s Vindla reminds you of a kind of instrument, a pendulum or a clock. But in fact it is a proud and tall wind-sensor with taut lines. At the upper rim of the supporting pillar there is a ring that registers the motion of the sun across the firmament. As the title Vindla indicates, it was probably mostly the wind that Bolter had in mind as he created his work.

The bow that crowns the work bends to the wind. Once again we see an artist using the unique possibilities offered by the mount as a place for exhibitions. With its ca 100 meters above sea level the mount is the highest point on the plains, which means that the winds can be strong here. To see Vindla right here is therefore a unique experience.

But the bow may also be interpreted in other ways. Look a bit closer, and then even closer. Doesn´t it look like outstretched arms? One can´t helpt but think of Atlas in Greek mythology. He was the titan condemned to carry the vault of heaven upon his shoulders for ever. And it does look like that here as well, on top of the mount. As if the work, the construction itself, lifts up the firmament.

In this way Bolter´s work is both practical and aesthetic, both concrete and abstract and we can fantasize about its meaning. What do you see when you look at Vindla?