29 September 2026
From mining glossary to artwork on campus
The artwork Blindort has been unveiled at Pussen on the Luleå campus. The artist behind the work is Erik Thörnqvist, one of our alumni.
The unveiling was attended by Vice-Chancellor Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn and representatives of Akademiska Hus and Public Art Agency Sweden.
“Art is an important part of an attractive and vibrant campus. That’s why it’s especially exciting to unveil the first work of art as part of the ‘Campus of the Future’ initiative in Luleå. “As we are now making a major investment in our artistic activities, it is also important that art be visible, take its place, and become a natural part of the campus environment,” says Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn.
Vice-Chancellor Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn.
For Erik Thörnqvist, the location has close links to both his childhood and his time as a student.
“I grew up only a few kilometres from here and studied at the University myself. Having my grandmother here for the unveiling makes it particularly special,” says Erik Thörnqvist.
During the unveiling, Erik Thörnqvist also spoke about the background to the work. As part of the process, he explored an old mining glossary from LKAB, where the words blind and ort caught his attention. Their meanings became part of the inspiration for the artwork. In mining terminology, an ort is a passage excavated through rock, while a blindort is a mine passage that ends within the rock.
Artist Erik Thörnqvist in front of his artwork.
Three parts around Pussen
Blindort draws inspiration from the mining village of Laver and Norrbotten’s industrial history. The work consists of three parts: Portal, Gång and Verktyg.
Portal is a silhouette derived from the concrete framework in the abandoned mining village of Laver. Its form depicts part of a mine headframe and recalls the work once carried out there and the traces it left behind.
In Gång, six metal rings form a passage in which an underground space takes shape above ground. On the other side of Pussen stands the bronze sculpture Verktyg. The sculpture can be seen through, and from its position it frames Portal across the water.
Together, the three parts explore the relationship between the landscape and human intervention, between what remains and what has disappeared.
Blindort is a permanent artwork developed by Public Art Agency Sweden in collaboration with Akademiska Hus.
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