Pilane Sculpture Park, set in a farmer’s field in the middle of the Swedish island of Tjorn, was voted among the top ten in Europe by the British newspaper The Guardian. The clear star at Pilane is Anna by Jaume Plensa. The huge head of a woman is visible from sea—we could see it from our anchorage over a mile away.
From Marstrand, we ran eleven miles north along the complex Swedish west coast to anchor at Krossefjorden off the island of Tjorn. From there, we ran the tender to a small marina nearby and walked about a mile inshore to visit the sculpture park. We really enjoyed the afternoon there—the sculptures were dramatic and beautiful.
Below are trip highlights from September 6th, 2019 at Pilane Sculpture Park. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.
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10m Bridge
Position: 57°56.79’N, 11°33.15’E
One meter to spare doesn’t look like much as we pass under a 10-meter bridge.
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Narrow
Position: 57°58.43’N, 11°31.73’E
We’re really enjoying cruising the intricate west coast of Sweden, but you really need to pay attention at the helm. Some of the sections are quite narrow.
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Tender
Position: 58°1.04’N, 11°33.67’E
Our tender tied off at Tjallevikens Brygga to visit the Pilane Sculpture Park.
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Dancing Clog Girls
Position: 58°1.83’N, 11°33.29’E
One of three figures in Dancing Clog Girls by Laura Ford, the first of 18 sculptures that we’ll see in the Pilane Sculpture Park.
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Rose
Position: 58°1.83’N, 11°33.29’E
Rose by Klara Kristalova.
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What Holds Me Back Carries Me Further
Position: 58°1.84’N, 11°33.28’E
By Klara Kristalova.
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Bird Girl
Position: 58°1.80’N, 11°33.25’E
By Klara Kristalova.
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Illusion
Position: 58°1.77’N, 11°33.25’E
By Helaine Blumenfeld.
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Taking Risks
Position: 58°1.77’N, 11°33.23’E
Taking Risks by Helaine Blumenfeld with Anna by Jaume Plensa atop the hill in the background.
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Optic Labyrinth
Position: 58°1.68’N, 11°33.09’E
By Conrad Shawcross.
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Optic Monolith
Position: 58°1.68’N, 11°33.02’E
By Conrad Shawcross.
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The Price of Freedom
Position: 58°1.64’N, 11°32.97’E
One of several bird sculptures by Johan Creten.
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The Bat
Position: 58°1.63’N, 11°32.96’E
The Bat by Johan Creten has stairs built into the back so you can climb atop it.
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The Vulture
Position: 58°1.62’N, 11°32.82’E
The Vulture, by Johan Creten, mounted at the Utsikten viewpoint on Tjorn island.
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Dirona
Position: 58°1.62’N, 11°32.82’E
Dirona at anchor in Krossefjorden, viewed from the Utsikten viewpoint on Tjorn island.
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Pool
Position: 58°1.73’N, 11°33.02’E
By Tony Cragg.
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Silent Howlers
Position: 58°1.78’N, 11°33.02’E
One of three figures in the Silent Howlers sculpture by Laura Ford.
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Anna
Position: 58°1.68’N, 11°33.02’E
Anna by Jaume Plensa is the clear star at Pilane and now is on permanent display there. The huge head of a woman is visible from sea—we could see it from our anchorage.
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Earth
Position: 58°1.85’N, 11°33.26’E
By Ida Koitila.
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Ascent
Position: 58°1.78’N, 11°33.34’E
We quite like the work by Helaine Blumenfeld. Ascent is one of several sculptured by the artist.
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Waldegrave Poodles
Position: 58°1.76’N, 11°33.31’E
By Laura Ford.
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Hyena in a Neck Brace
Position: 58°1.79’N, 11°33.31’E
By Laura Ford.
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Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise.
On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps. |
Really cool. What is the height of Anna? It’s hard to get a good sense of scale from the photo.
It’s gigantic at 14M (46′). If you look at the “taking risks” picture you can see small black figures to the right. Those are people standing beside Ana. It’s very striking especially when surrounded by nature.
Enjoyed photos of Pilane Sculpture Park. I liked the natural, ungroomed feeling of it — that sets off the sculptures well. The sculptures looked fun and interesting.
I agree the Ascent sculpture by Helaine Blumenfeld is appealing — she is able to represent a feeling of upward movement nicely. I also liked Earth by Ida Koituila — it imparts a sense of how everything on Earth is connected. I enjoy the visual impact of Pool by Tony Cragg.
I’m happy to offer opinions despite the fact that my knowledge of abstract sculpture is zero.
We thought much the same. Initially when planning to go to the park, I wasn’t that excited. But when we could see Anna from the anchorage, our interest was piqued and we ended up really impressed by the park. As you said, these massive works in a broad, unstaged, natural setting was very effective.