A five-ton diabasskulptur black as night. Have you ever seen anything like it? This is just one part of Hillevi Berglund’s Drömmarnas sjö or the Lake of Dreams. It is a four-part artwork that spans Älvsjö’s new square and the railway area’s travel center.
Drömmarnas sjö is more than just art. It is a transformation. Berglund has metaphorically turned the entire square into a water lily pond. The name Drömmarnas sjö comes from the moon’s Lacus Somniorum. This translates to Lake of Dreams.
Berglund aimed to create something poetic. She wanted it to stand in contrast to the rigidness of the area. She desired a handmade feel. A feeling that would bring poetry and a sense of the hand to the location.
Let us start our exploration at the travel center. Here, a five-meter high relief awaits passengers arriving from the train. It is made of brushed and polished stainless steel. It depicts the moon reflecting in the water.
Now follow me to the square. The architects at Nivå Landskapsarkitektur designed it. Notice the 32 water lily pads sandblasted into the stone slabs. They vary in size and depth. This creates a play of light and dark on the square’s surface.
Follow the water lily pads to the small open space by Lerkrogen. Take a seat and rest your eyes on the diabasskulptur. It is hand-hewn. The sky mirrors itself in its polished surface. Inlaid water lily leaves of polished steel add to its beauty.
For those arriving from the travel center heading towards Stockholmsmässan. You will encounter a round, carved sculpture in Bohus granite. One side of the roundel has been cut off. Water lily leaves penetrate its polished surface.
Here, the story comes together. Look closely. The cut is placed at the latitude of Lacus Somniorum. That is 38.0° N, 29.2° E. In this sculpture, Lacus Somniorum meets its reflection. It is when the moon turns this side towards Earth.
The artwork was funded by a one-percent allocation. This came from the urban transformation of Älvsjö center. It became a clear traffic hub with 600 new homes and a travel center.
Hillevi Berglund says the moon mirrors our dreams. It contains the Sea of Dangers and the Sea of Tranquility. She asks, “Do hearts float on the Lake of Dreams?” Berglund views her art as a journey. It is a journey from a small lake on earth. It is also a journey to the Lake of Dreams on the moon.
In Älvsjö center, the residents wished for a lake. This art fulfills that wish. It connects the earthly with the cosmic. It makes the ultimate journey to the moon imaginable. Drömmarnas sjö invites us to dream. It encourages us to reflect. It blends art, nature, and the cosmos into one.