NEWS The latest addition to Campus Umeå, the new building Aurora, has been welcoming students and staff since May, but has now also been officially inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor Tora Holmberg. At the same time, the artwork "Stjärnlikt grenverk", created by artist Thomas Hämén and erected on a hill just outside the building, was also inaugurated.
Umeå University Vice-Chancellor Tora Holmberg cuts the ribbon and inaugurates the new building Aurora with Anna Edholm (left), Head of unit at Campus Services Office at Umeå University, and Marie Löwling, Property Area Manager for Region North at Akademiska Hus. Photo: Mattias Pettersson.
"We hope that by bringing the exam hall closer to campus, we will provide students with a more accessible and secure environment that can help reduce stress. And look how beautiful it has turned out! It's fantastic," said Tora Holmberg, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University, in her opening speech before cutting the ribbon in front of representatives from both Akademiska Hus and all the university departments that assisted with the construction, move-in and start-up.
The Aurora building covers 9,500 square metres over seven floors and, in addition to examination rooms, also houses teaching rooms, offices, study areas and, soon, a café on the third floor.
The artwork ‘Stjärnlikt grenverk’ just outside Aurora was inaugurated by (from left in the picture) Jun-Hi Wennergren and Björn Norberg, both of whom work at the Swedish National Public Art Council, and the artist Thomas Hämén. Photo: Mattias Pettersson.
The artwork 'Stjärnlikt grenverk' just outside Aurora was also inaugurated by Björn Norberg and Jun-Hi Wennergren from the Swedish National Public Art Council, as well as artist Thomas Hämén, who explained the ideas behind the artwork:
"It is a star map and at the same time a reminder of the reindeer lichen that was important here before Umeå University was built, when this was still reindeer grazing land for the Rans Sami community. The artwork has the anatomy of a reindeer lichen, the window lichen, but also the shape of Laniakea, which is a supercluster in the universe. It is a galactic structure that was mapped in 2014 and is the largest structure in the universe that we know we are part of. So the Milky Way is included in one of the flowers in the artwork, and the branches are the paths that this galactic cluster takes through space."
"The artwork is a way of combining the history of the land with modern astronomy, while reminding students writing their exams that there are bigger things to think about than just this exam."
A supercluster is a loose collection of galaxy groups/clusters with up to tens of thousands of galaxies and a span of several hundred million light years. The artwork 'Stjärnlikt grenverk', and the 40 or so other artworks in Aurora, have been created and placed by the Swedish National Public Art Council in collaboration with Umeå University and Akademiska hus.