Kultivator is a cooperation of artists and farmers, which started up on Öland, an island of the southeast coast of Sweden, in late 2005. The founders are Maria Lindmark and Henric Stigeborn, farmers, and Mathieu Vrijman, Malin Lindmark Vrijman and Marlene Lindmark, artists. The farm is producing organic milk, lambs, pigs and vegetables.

The purpose is to create a meeting and working platform that especially consider issues around food production, farming, rural versus urban lifestyle, ecology and trade. To do this, Kultivator has a guestatelier/projectroom where artists and others can work, (apply with specific projects), a shop that sells local organic products and fair trade products, a café/library and outdoor and indoor exhibition spaces. Next to these permanent features, Kultivator initiates and hosts workmeetings, short workshops, exhibitions and screenings. Examples of works:

“Dinner with Cows” Film recording / event on Harvest feast night. Buss loads of visitors were offered a dinner together with the milking cows from the village farm. 2005

“Allotment” Visitors of Malmö Gallery “Cirkulationscentralen” were asked to compose a meal by planning an allotment garden with vegetables, the size of the gallery floor. Afterwards the drawn garden was made real on the grounds of Kultivator. We harvested 3 months later and served the meal to the gallery visitors. 2006

“The Right of Public access” People studying at the Swedish course for immigrants were invited for an introduction into the Swedish “Right of public access” to nature. It means that you may walk freely everywhere and even camp and pick berries and mushrooms. We finished with building small cottages out of branches as symbolic homes in the forest. 2006

“Rage of the Machine” Celebration ceremony and performance with combined harvesters. Combined harvester machines were borrowed from neighbour farms, their achievements read for and applauded by the crowd. 2006

“Earthworks 2007” A workmeeting of 13 from 7 different countries artists that took on the challenge of rethinking site specific/land art. We work in close cooperation with the local organic farm, and we will work on pieces that are sited within a system; the global system of food production. 2007

“Supermodel” exhibition in art space W139, Amsterdam. With tractor parade through center Amsterdam. 2007

“När Stureplan blev bonnigt” Panel discussion and exhibition over how ecology, commerce and culture can meet in innercity Stockholm 2008

“OIL PRESS” Kultivator installs rapeseed oil press at the Verbeke foundation in Belgium. The press, positioned inside the art hall, delivers oil that runs the heating system of the collections and exhibition areas of the Verbeke foundation. 2008

“Right to farm the land” Kultivator distributes pieces of farmland to immigrants, recently arrived to Sweden. People that were interested in cultivating land received the “Right to farm the land” and shared approximately 10000 m2 in the south of Sweden. In cooperation with Plan 3 and Public Globality Gardens. 2008

• Elisabeth Hermodsson
• Elin Wägner
• Vandana Shiva
• http://www.navdanya.org/
• http://goto.glocalnet.net/elisabethermodsson/
• http://www.elinwagner.se/

Maria Lindmark, 34 years and live in Runsten, Öland.

I have worked with organic food production in various ways and on different farms for the last 15 years. The last ten years mainly with dairy cows, sheep’s and greenhouse vegetables.

When I was young and discovered the animal rights movement and I became a vegetarian. I decided to learn how to produce my own vegetables. So I did and slowly realised that not only animals but also plants would rather live than die. That it’s the most challenging and important job I can come to think of for myself. That providing survival, physically and mentally, is the essential thing!