Help artist to clean, organize, repair, build and lots of other things, in Luleå, north Sweden

Details

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  Description

  Hello! I am a sculptor that mostly uses recycled things in my art. My studio is situated in a 100-year-old wooden house in Luleå center. We are about fifteen cultural workers of different kinds in the house: filmmakers, journalists, painters, authors and more. I have worked for more than 30 years in this house.
  My passion is recycled things. A lot of my time goes to finding these things, collect them, sort them up - and store them. I use a lot of time to make my sculptures, one sculpture can take many months - also years - to be completed.
  Even if fifteen persons have studios in the house I am in periods the only one there. In other periods the house is full of people and life.
  I live a simple life with a minimum of luxury extras, as the art business for me is more costly than financially rewarding.
  
  I have had some splendid experiences with my former volunteers, so I´m really looking forward to meet new ones. Unfortunately there has also been some not as good, as some volunteers has been suffering from homesickness or been depressed by bad weather. You will be here in spring and early summer. The weather can be unpredictable. Often very sunny and warm in the summer, but then again it can also be cold and rainy even in times that should be otherwise. If you are not sensitive about the weather, and if you are open minded, easy- and self going, and happy, you are very welcome to contact me.
  
  IMPORTANT: The working period is 2 of May to 20 June. If you can´t arrive 2/5 it will probably be ok to come some days before or later. There is no other period so please don´t contact me with suggestions of other times.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Culture

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Writing

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Cycling
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You don´t have to be interested in art, but if you are you will gain some knowledge about how I work. There will also be opportunities to meet colleges of mine and see and be told about different types of art work. And also other kinds of cultural work.
  You will have possibilities for experiences in the nature. I will do my best to advice you or even take you out myself on bike tours.

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  Help

  I want to invite two volunteers. If you can´t arrive 2/5 it will probably be ok to come some days before or later. Last day of work is 20/6 but if you want to stay for two or maybe three nights more and celebrate midsummer here you are welcome to stay in my little attic flat in the center of the town, cause I´m going away over midsummer.
  
  About free days; A friend of mine is going to open an exhibition in Norway the 12/5. I might go there. If I do you are welcome to join me. Nothing is nailed about it. If the weather for example is going bad we will stay at home. There might be other facts to concern to too.
  At some point you will have 4 to 7 days off in a row. During that time you can stay in Luleå if you want; go up to the mountains for a hike, or maybe to Stockholm or some other place. One option could be that if we go to Norway, you could take the ferry over to Lofoten. It is probably the most beautiful place in Norway. Probably one of the most beautiful in the world. From there you would take yourself down to Luleå again with bus and train. I can´t pay journey tickets or accommodation in Norway though. And it´s an expensive country.
  Of course you will also have some free days in the work weeks.
  
  YOUR MAIN TASK will be to clear up, make order and clean some of my chaotic storage rooms. We will sort things up and we will go to the recycle station with things and trach that I don´t need. The goal is to make more free space and make it easier to find things.
  Skills you need: good organizing, perfect cleaning, sorting, and mussels for carrying.
  
  MAKE AND IMPROVE SOME FURNITURES
  Skills: experienced in wood work and know how to use machines for it. Be meticulous.
  
  MOUNTING AND DEMOUNTING
  For example: tear off wall cover, such as plaster, and take it to the recycling station. Then paint the walls. And put up cupboards and shelfs.
  Skills: Be practical, handy and strong.
  
  CUT OUT/PUNCH OUT details in plastic.
  Skills: Be handy and strong.
  
  Those are the most important projects. If there is time over there is plenty of other things to do, such as:
  
  Digital help and teaching.
  I consider myself to be something of a digital analphabeth. There is so much that I don´t get about the digitized world that I all of sudden have ended up in.
  Among other digital items one is to save some music and maybe documents from an old Macintoch that doesn´t work any more (if possible).
  Skills needed: Have good knowledge about Apple Macintosh computers. Be a patient teacher, take it slow and easy.
  
  Mend a suspension device on a projection screen.
  Skills: being inventive and practical.
  
  Sorting eye spectable glases, cd-records and/or other materials.
  Skills: being organized and meticulous.
  
  Pour concrete for candle sticks, including mixing, and cleaning.
  Skills: be meticulous (I will show you how to do it).
  
  Demount fabric from old offish chairs (it´s material for an art installation).
  
  Mend a broken detail on a textile sculpture.
  Skills: Being inventive and practical.
  
  Make a jig/tool in wood to use as a tool.
  Skills: being skilled in wood work and know how to use machines for it.
  
  Clean oily and dirty bicykle details.
  
  Of course you don´t have to have all the experiences and skills mentioned. If you have some of them and are really interested to come, just tell how you think you can help me.
  Also tell me about yourself and your life, your personality, your interests and such things.
  I am quite a perfectionist. If you are meticulous we will make the perfect match. But don´t be scared of the amount of tasks listed. There will be no stress. What can be done will be done.
  The quality is more important then the quantity.
  You should though be a calm person that doesn´t start to make the tasks before we have discussed a plan of how it´s going to be done, what equipment you might need and such things so that the project goes smoothly and good without risk for damages and personal injuries.
  It´s important that you speak good English so we can communicate and understand each other correctly without problems.
  
  LUNCHES: I will make lunch once or twice a week. I hope you can make lunch for the three of us once a week or so. I eat glutenfree vegetarian. I will also make some fish dish (if you eat fisch).
  Other days we will fix our own lunches separately.

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  Languages spoken

  Swedish: Fluent
  English: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  You will live in the guest space at KKV (The Artists Common Workshops). There is two small rooms, a small kitchen, a toalett and a shower. The space is quite simple and it has an odd lay out. It´s not a traditional flat, but so far it worked fine for my helpers. The windows are not facing outside but the monumental workshops. So you might be disturbed by sounds from there at times.
  You will share the space with the other volunteer and you will have to pass each others rooms when going to the kitchen and toilet or to the shower.
  In the house there are common workshops for artists and private artist studios.
  
  From KKV to my studio at KULTURAKUTEN it´s almost 4 km. There are buses, but you will also have bicycles.

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  What else ...

  Luleå is a small town in Norrbotten, situated at the coast of Bottenviken and the outflow of Luleå river. The archipelago outside the town is full of islands. The communal boats waits until midsummer to start the "every day" traffic, but will run a few weekend tours with start the 7th of june.
  The world heritage Gammelstad Church Town is the former/original Luleå, only a few kilometres away. It´s a nice goal for a bike ride.
  About one hours car drive from Luleå is Storforsen, the biggest unbound waterfall in northern Europe, a nice place for an excursion and a picnic.
  There are lots of forests and water in the surroundings. You might be able to hire a canoe (if they started the season).
  Four to six hours away is the (so far) always snowy mountains close to the Norwegian border.
  It´s the world heritage Laponia, which is the largest area of wilderness in Europe.
  In the summer the sun is in the sky almost all night (if not hidden by rain). In winter it´s the other way around (we hardly see the sun at all, not even in daytime). These causes a special mentality in the inhabitants. In winter we can be pretty sleepy, but in summer people blooms with energy and hurry up to make the gardens and other things nice, as the period of summer is short. Still, Luleå is often winning the weather forecast competition of the most sunny hours i Sweden.
  
  And once again, please respect the time: only may until nearly end of midsummer.
  
  I'm very keen to read from you!
  / Chestin (that’s how my name is pronunciated).

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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