Description
Kära örebroare (Dear residents of Örebro) is a proposal commissioned for Konstnärligt gestaltningsuppdrag för stadsmiljön kring Olof Palmes torg (Artistic assignment for the urban environment around Olof Palme Square) for Örebro City Council.
- 198.7m2 ground-heating system installed beneath paving stones and operational November to April.
- Brass plaque in the centre of heated area;
- 'OPT sedan 1987' design and merchandise (Olof Palme Square since 1987).
Olof Palmes torg is a public square in the southern part of Örebro's city centre. The square was designed in the mid-1960s by architects Erik and Tore Ahlsén as part of their vision for Örebro's new Medborgarehuset (Citizen's Centre). Örebro City Council have approved plans for a redevelopment of the square with construction planned for 2026-2027.
63 Expressions of Interest were submitted by artists to an open call for a new public artwork at Olof Palme Square. Maddie Leach was selected and invited to develop a concept proposal.
Commissioned by Örebro kommun
Credits
Research, concept, sketches: Maddie Leach
Digital images: Pablo Encinas Alonso
Plaque & logo design: Warren Olds / Studio Ahoy Ltd
Dialogue partner: Julian McKinney
Social Democrat politician Olof Palme was murdered in February 1986 in Stockholm. In his memory, in Sweden there are three public squares (in Örebro, Västerås and Sundsvall) and four plazas named after him. Internationally there are close to 100 streets that bear his name.
Formerly known as Södertorget, Olof Palmes torg (OPT) was designed by architects Erik and Tore Ahlsén in the 1960s as an integral part of their vision for a complete urban environment around Medborgarhuset and Krämaren. This particular city square was conceived as an open and airy public space, with a unifying pattern of concrete pavers and cobblestones giving the effect of a large carpet that spreads beneath the surrounding buildings.
Olof Plames torg’s open character has played an important role in hosting public gatherings of different scales. From May 1st demonstrations and speeches by visiting politicians, to music performances, loppis and fairs, Olof Palmes torg has been a citizens’ square, available to all.
By 1987 the civic infrastructure around Olof Palmes torg had begun to change. Signage for Samlingssalar (auditorium), Studierum (study rooms) and Folkets hus (community centre) on the front of Medborgarhuset had been removed and replaced with Bergsmannen Konferenscenter – a new city council enterprise. In 1989, a private building owner was permitted to build on the south-east corner of the square, erasing a beloved, sunny row of public seating. A promised waiting room and public toilet for bus passengers as part of that development never transpired. One could say, it was at this point that Olof Palmes torg began to shrink – literally and metaphorically – as a public space in the city.
Kära örebroare is a new site-specific public artwork oriented towards this rich history and the future of Olof Palmes torg when it is redeveloped in 2026-2027.
During the winter months, the proposed artwork uses ground heating technology to warm 198.7m2 of Olof Palmes torg. Intended to be visible during periods of frost and snowfall, Kära örebroare appears throughout the most inhospitable part of the year, creating a square within a square – and revealing the original shape of Olof Palmes torg when it was named in 1987. Rather than a memorial to Olof Palme the man, one can think of this artwork as a salute to the square itself.
