A blast from the past: a collection of various designs by Mikael Askergren (1992) for a hedge labyrinth/garden maze at Medevi Brunn, a great private estate in Östergötland (Ostro Gothia), Sweden. Such a hedge labyrinth in the gardens of Medevi Brunn was however never built/planted/realized.
A blast from the past: an installation proposal by Mikael Askergren (1994) for the great rotunda in the Spiral Garden art gallery in Tokyo:
(a) 10 chairs
(b) 10 business suits
(c) 10 anonymous men from Iran
Anonymous Iranians shall remain seated at all times (staff monitor and supervise visits to lavatories, etc.). The dress and appearance of anonymous Iranians shall be neat, uniform, and attractive.
Mikael Askergren, Stockholm 1994-10-31.
Footnote (1). The above proposal for a temporary art installation in the great rotunda of the Spiral Garden art gallery in Tokyo, Japan (title of installation: Ueno) was a competition entry by Mikael Askergren for the 4th international Japan Art Scholarship competition 1994. Mikael Askergren’s competition entry was rejected by the competition's jury.
Footnote (2). Tokyo’s Ueno Park is notorious for its homeless illegal immigrants, many of them from Iran. More about illegal immigrants in Tokyo’s Ueno Park (Wikipedia): Iranians in Japan
A blast from the past: proposal by Mikael Askergren (2004) for a warfare memorial in the former fortress and garrison town of Kristianstad, Sweden.
Mikael Askergren: “The ammunition is the thing: the choice between loading and not loading, between firing and not firing, between loose and sharp ammunition, is the choice between the fraudulent lightheartedness of Baron von Münchausen and—the cruel reality of warfare.”
Mikael Askergren, again: “Contemplating all the ammunition loaded and discharged during Kristianstad’s long history as fortified garrison town, I hereby propose as warfare memorial in the streets of the former garrison town of Kristianstad a giant piece of metaphorical ammunition—a giant, metaphorical ‘cannonball’ à la Baron von Münchausen.”
The proposal above for a warfare memorial in the (former) fortress and garrison town of Kristianstad, Sweden was Mikael Askergren’s contribution to an urban sculpture competition in 2004. Mikael Askergren’s competition entry was rejected by the competition's jury.
From the Merck Manual: “Münchausen syndrome by Proxy, MSBP, is a bizarre variant [of Münchausen syndrome] in which usually a child is used as a surrogate patient. The parent falsifies history and may injure the child with drugs or add blood or bacterial contaminants to urine specimens to simulate disease. The parent seeks medical care for the child and always appears to be deeply concerned and protective. The child is often seriously ill, requires frequent hospitalization, and may die.”
Image at top of blog entry: Hans Albers as Baron von Münchausen riding his famous cannonball in a German film (1943).