Gullbergs kaj (Gullberg’s Quay) stretches along by the Göta River close to central Gothenburg. It’s between the new bridge to Hising island and the mainland entrance to the Tingstad road tunnel. The quay is also known as Drömmarnas kaj (the Quay of Dreams) because of all the hulks moored alongside that weekend boatbuilders are refurbishing, or dreaming of refurbishing. “Along this stretch of the river the dreams cluster thick as seafog,” as I wrote here five years ago. I was sharing my “happy vice face” photo from a photo expedition taken five years earlier still.
It’s been that long – ten years – since I last took a camera along here. The other Sunday seemed like a good day to pay a new visit. This blog post is a little photo essay of pictures I took, walking along there with Mrs SC.
RIP?
Furthest up river, close to the road tunnel entrance, there’s a continuation of the quay outside the auspices of the Ship Association. At this more anarchic end, Gothenburg artists and performers have previously been able to meet up to create poetry, street art, music and theatre. Till recently they have been tolerated by the city council who rent out berths directly. This seems likely to change as Gothenburg is busy gentrifying.
While some carry on in hope – we met on man building a café and stage out of driftwood and an old wooden hull – others have built a sulpture by the road. RIP Drömmarnas Kaj, it says. RIP several other artistic venues that are no more or are under threat. Is there no longer room for dreams in Gothenburg?
