Artistic design of the building
Klara Kristalova’s artistic installation “Allt är liv” at Sara Kulturhus is a collection of objects in various materials spread across the two wall sections available for the work. The installation’s components—woman, sun, horse and human, kusen, night butterfly, all is life, bridal crown, layers of life, stick girl, cairn, and birch—can be experienced from two levels: the upper passage from the north entrance to the central hall, and the lower library floor of Sara Kulturhus.
Kristalova drew inspiration from the building’s function, her own impressions of Västerbotten, and especially Sara Lidman’s writing. She aimed to create an experience that works both up close and from afar, unified as a whole while allowing each object to retain its distinct value. This visual narrative unfolds stories big and small, weaving together life, hard work, nature, the passage of time, individuals, and animals.
She also looked to the powerful portraits and environmental depictions in Jernbanesviten, blending in elements of herself and our contemporary world to give the work a character that feels resonant over the long term.
“Allt är liv” is a title rooted in the idea that every ant, every twig, and every human is alive and significant—a concept that permeates the entire piece.
Klara Kristalova was born in 1967 in Prague and moved to Sweden in 1968 following the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. She studied at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm from 1988 to 1994, and she now lives and works in Norrtälje.
Kristalova drew inspiration from the building’s function, her own impressions of Västerbotten, and especially Sara Lidman’s writing. She aimed to create an experience that works both up close and from afar, unified as a whole while allowing each object to retain its distinct value. This visual narrative unfolds stories big and small, weaving together life, hard work, nature, the passage of time, individuals, and animals.
She also looked to the powerful portraits and environmental depictions in Jernbanesviten, blending in elements of herself and our contemporary world to give the work a character that feels resonant over the long term.
“Allt är liv” is a title rooted in the idea that every ant, every twig, and every human is alive and significant—a concept that permeates the entire piece.
Klara Kristalova was born in 1967 in Prague and moved to Sweden in 1968 following the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. She studied at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm from 1988 to 1994, and she now lives and works in Norrtälje.