On Tuesday we had the honor of welcoming a group of students from HDK Academy of Arts and Crafts at Cat Eyed People’s Playground. Giving a short presentation of Masthuggskajen, the quay’s history and how we ended up on it in a shipping container.
Masthuggskajen and the area around the river that in the upcoming years will go through a huge transformation is a part of Gothenburg with a long and rich history. Masthuggskajen was built between 1888 and 1902 and was Gothenburg’s first quay for trans-oceanic ships. The name stems from the 1500 century when the area was used by mast constructors.
1972 Stena Line ferries inaugurated their ferry terminal at the quay, and since then you are able to catch a ferry to Denmark from there.
The area were the Cat Eyed People’s Playground’s container is placed is an area that until two years ago was used by Stena Line for storage and workshop. Then as part of the River City Gothenburg their buildings were torn down. But since the land needs to rest before being rebuilt the opportunity was given to have non-commercial cultural activities at the quay until the construction work can start. And this is how we ended up at Masthuggskajen through an initiative by Jasmine Idun Isdrake and her Epic Unidragon Game Gallery which we are part of.
The future then … well at present we are waiting for an answer if we can stay at the quay during some part of 2017. If not the Playground will end up somewhere else in Sweden or Europe by January. At Masthuggskajen the future hosts reconstruction into new residential areas with office spaces. The quay will once again change its character and transform into something else than it was 50 years ago when sailors and ship workers occupied the area.
CoScene 