English | Kulturlandskapet

The company Kulturlandskapet works on a broad scale with culture and cultural heritage. The members of the cooperative determine the aim and direction of the work. Our basic aim is an ecologically and socially sustainable society, where people’s various experiences can be expressed. We must be aware of the consequences of our daily actions. With a deeper understanding of our history and our ecosystem, we are able to make better decisions concerning the future.

Kulturlandskapet is a cooperative founded by its members in 2013, emanating from the company Rio Kulturkooperativ which in turn started in 1993. The idea is to include a variety of cultural activities within the cooperative. The members of the cooperative decide what should be included in the work.

Kulturlandskapet works with a wide range of issues within the cultural sector and concerning the landscape. The fundamental goal is to develop and stimulate positive values in society such as democracy and equality, as well as ecological, cultural and social sustainability.

Our working process promotes communication between people of different professions, creating time and space for discussions. Our work includes both commissioned work and work with our own projects within the following topics.

• Archaeology
• Architecture
• Environmental and community planning
• Cultural history
• Literature
• Education
• Research

Kulturlandskapet has a registered Tax Identification Number.

Archaeology

Kulturlandskapet works with all forms of development-led archaeology – from preliminary studies, surveys, assessments and preliminary archaeological investigations to full-scale archaeological excavations. The members are experienced in a wide range of issues; we have worked with all periods of time, from the earliest part of the Stone Age to the recent twentieth century. Apart from qualifications in general archaeology, our special qualifications encompass such work as documentation of rock carvings.

Architecture

A built-up environment with houses and buildings constitutes a source of knowledge with an idiom that often needs interpretation to be understood. Within the field of knowledge concerning architecture, Kulturlandskapet offers a wide selection of services directed towards both history and the future. We perform survey characterisations of modern architecture and urban development, providing descriptions and analyses of the proceedings. We provide preliminary studies for community planning programmes and planning documentation. We also conduct cultural heritage assessments of development projects. Within Kulturlandskapet, we also have special qualifications directed towards producing background information for architectural aesthetic design programmes and for making assessments of architectural projects and town planning projects.

Environmental and community planning

Kulturlandskapet has worked with a large number of wind power projects, participating in all stages of the planning process. Kulturlandskapet provides supportive studies for planning, performs parts of environmental impact assessments or takes on the responsibility for the entire process. In the next stage, Kulturlandskapet can perform the documentation work or archaeological excavations, which might be the outcome of the final alternative. We can provide help at an early stage in formulating the type of conflicting interests between the planned developing work and the cultural heritage. In this context, we can also suggest solutions to these issues.

Cultural History

Kulturlandskapet works towards preserving, communicating and developing cultural history, but also towards promoting cultural history in society. We have mainly concentrated on cultural-historical documentation of material remains and intangible memories associated with the stone industry (quarry) in Bohuslän and building historical studies, although we do undertake other types of cultural historical documentation work. It is up to us all, to make sure that our heritage is not destroyed, even if the final decisions are made within community planning. One of the goals of community planning is to improve the quality of life; this means that we need to take care of our history.

Literature

Kulturlandskapet has its own publishing house, publishing mainly our own reports, but also a limited number of titles in fiction and non-fiction. Free downloads of most of our reports are accessible on our website. To buy either fiction or fact, see the list under the tab marked Förlag. Most but not all of our publications are written in Swedish.

Education

Kulturlandskapet works with accessibility, communication and education in different ways and from different perspectives. The knowledge we gain through our work is important to communicate to the public. Our aim is to encourage an interest and understanding of culture and environment in people of all ages, to show how we work and how we take care of these values in society. Our goal is to offer an alternative view and encourage critical thinking and the challenging of old facts. In focusing on people through a bottom-up approach or from an outside perspective, we discuss such things as class, gender, children, power, social processes and communication. By searching for new angles of vision and new sources of knowledge, we gain new perspectives of ourselves, our history and the future.

Research

Apart from commissioned work, Kulturlandskapet does research work and runs projects initiated by the members. The topics of the projects depend on the interest, curiosity and focus of the members. These projects range from examinations of small and limited areas, such as a single prehistoric site, to wide and comprehensive studies. Interdisciplinary projects include industrial history, cultural history, architecture and art. Such a meeting might be artistic, historical and political. Kulturlandskapet has also instituted its own Scholarship Fund.

More information

Contact Kulturlandskapet for more information on kontakt@kulturland.se or phone +46 (0)709 599 648.