Solar Egg - a unique art project visits Skellefteå
Riksbyggens sauna Solar Egg, created by the internationally renowned artist duo Bigert & Bergström, is visiting Skellefteå during the period February to April. Bigert & Bergström have shed light on the planet's climate changes through their art for over 30 years. The world-famous sauna was designed in 2017 as a symbol of new beginnings in connection with the urban transformation of Kiruna. In the growth city of Skellefteå, Riksbyggen is planning over 200 new apartments in the next few years, so they saw an opportunity to discuss the innovative development here by lending the sauna to Skellefteå Kunsthall.
Solar Egg will become a vibrant meeting place with a warm heart at Sara Kulturhus in the spring of 2023.
Welcome to try out the Solar Egg or just look at the work during Sara Kulturhus opening hours. Book your sauna visit below. NOTE! The booking is opened 3 weeks at a time. New slos for booking will be available again on March 20th
PLACE: Sara Kulturhus North Terrace in Skellefteå
WHEN: February 11 - May 5
Practical information
Solar Egg is a mixed sauna and accommodates a total of eight people per sauna session. For everyone's comfort, swimwear is mandatory inside the sauna. Towels, bathrobes and slippers are available for hire (cost SEK 100), but you can also bring your own. Right next to the Solar Egg there is a place to change and a shower. There are also lockers here where valuables can be locked up. We are not responsible for clothing and valuables.
• The saunas are divided into 1 1/2-hour sessions, which include showering and changing.
• The visit is free of charge
• In the event of a missed visit, the booker will be charged SEK 500.
• Consumption of alcohol takes place in a designated place and is not permitted inside the sauna.
• To book, you must be 18 years of age.
• Persons under the age of 18 may use the sauna in the company of an adult.
• The sauna is at your own risk.
• The sauna is not accessible.
Facts about Solar Egg
• Solar Egg is 4.5 metres high and 12.6 metres in circumference.
• The piece weighs 2750 kg.
• The fireplace is shaped like a human heart and weighs 750 kg.
• The lighting uses electricity from its own solar array.
• The assembly of the 69 golden plates using 1512 screws takes 4 to 5 days.
The recipient of Bigert & Bergström's Solar Egg is Skellefteå Konsthall in collaboration with Sara Kulturhus and The Wood Hotel by Elite.
Activities around Solar Egg
"What an experience the sauna bathers will have! With Solar Egg's visit to Skellefteå, we want to highlight the modern and innovative development that Skellefteå is undergoing. The fact that we get to adorn Sara Kulturhus with Sweden's largest and most well-known gold nugget warms the cockles."
Mathias Sandberg, Concept Manager Business Area Housing at Riksbyggen.
Award-winning design
Solar Egg for Riksbyggen has received a number of awards, including the prestigious Red Dot Award for design, the 2017 Steel Building Award and won the German Design Award and the Swedish Arts & Business Awards. Solar Egg has also won awards in the Swedish Design Prize and the London International Awards. In 2018, popular culture magazine Time Out named Solar Egg as the third most spectacular tourist destination in the world. More than 1.3 billion people have been able to read about the sauna or see the photographs by Jean-Baptiste Béranger on social and digital media. A book about Solar Egg was published in 2019 by Art&Theory.
"The aim of Solar Egg is to highlight social transformation and sustainability through conversation. The fact that we now get to do this in Skellefteå, one of Sweden's most expansive and modern places, will be very interesting and exciting"
Johanna Frelin, CEO of Riksbyggen.