Eternal Employment was the proposal for Korsvägen station that best met the assessment criteria of the competition, according to the jury. Eternal Employment proposed, in both a humorous and critical way, an expanded understanding of the Chronotopia theme in relation to Korsvägen, a vibrant area characterised by its activities and commercialism. Here, in the middle of the event-city, Eternal Employment proposed an elaborate conceptual work that illustrated the connections between the individual’s everyday life and the intangible transactions of global economy.
The proposal was cancelled in 2022
In april 2022 The Swedish Transport Administration decided not to go through with Eternal Employment, since it wouldn’t be possible to finance the artwork according to the artits’ intentions.
On Eternal employment
In accordance with the concept of Eternal Employment, a person was to be employed at Korsvägen station. Whatever the employee chose to do would constitute the work. The employment contract was to be full time and of indefinite duration; should the employee resign or retire, a new employee was to be recruited. At the station, a changing room was installed, as well as a time clock connected to fluorescent lights above the platforms –a “working light”– that would be turned on whenever the employee was at work.
The artistic expression, visualised mostly through the lighting of the station, provided a direct sensory experience while suggesting multiple interpretations in relation to working environments. The stamp bell and the changing room, to which only the employee had access, were also important components of the proposal.
Statement of the jury
The jury considered that this strongly innovative proposal presented a solid concept and an artistic expression of great quality, which would significantly broaden the field of artistic interventions in the public sphere. The proposal would unfold through the whole station premises and transcend its walls, as it had the potential to become part of the oral history of Gothenburg. Eternal Employment conveyed a complexity and a visionary quality that showed its ability to develop over time, in future generations and in relation to further social development.
About West Link: Chronotopia
The West Link is one of the largest construction projects ever in the Västra Götaland region: it will connect the city and the region by means of a new underground railway through central Gothenburg and new train stations to relieve traffic at the Central Station. The new station environments, entrances, bridges and adjoining urban areas will shape people’s living environments for a long time to come. The construction is scheduled to start in 2018 and the first trains are expected to circulate through the tunnels in 2026.
On Goldin + Senneby
Goldin+Senneby is a duo formed by artists Simon Goldin and Jakob Senneby, who have been collaborating since 2004. In their practice, they explore juridical, financial and spatial constructs, which they address through the framework of the performative and the virtual.
One of their longer projects is Headless (2007-2015), which approaches the sphere of offshore finance, and its production of virtual space through legal code. Looking at strategies of withdrawal and secrecy, they trace an offshore company on the Bahamas called Headless Ltd., while a detective novel narrates their investigations. Since 2010 they have worked on The Nordenskiöld Model, a research project staged as a theatre in which they attempt to re-enact the anarcho-alchemical scheme of 18th century alchemist August Nordenskiöld on the financial markets of today.
Goldin+Senneby have had solo exhibitions at Tensta konsthall (2016) and Index (2009), both in Stockholm, as well as in other venues across the world, such as Artspace NZ (Auckland, 2013), Kadist (Paris, 2010) and The Power Plant (Toronto, 2008). Their work has also been presented in numerous group shows, such as the 11th Gwangju Biennial (2016), the 13th Istanbul Biennial (2013), Manifesta 9 (2012) or the 28th Bienal de São Paulo (2008).
”Goldin+Senneby define themselves as a ’collaborative framework exploring juridical, financial and spatial constructs.’ The elusiveness of this description is somewhat apt. Since 2004, when Simon Goldin and Jakob Senneby started working as a duo, they have speculated around the layerings of contemporary economics, analyzing and employing different dimensions of financial markets. Their collaborative strategies have shaped a withdrawn approach wherein the artists are akin to puppeteers: their production mostly comprises choreographing the labour of others.”
– João Laia, Frieze
Idéas from Simon Goldin and Jakob Senneby
Please note that 3-Eternal_Employment-WrittenDescriptionA4.pdf is the main document. The files have been adapted for online presentation and quality has been decreased.
Find the artwork
Göteborg, Sverige
