Vällingby, very thin hatch drawings (1992)

Over time, I found myself sketching more and more details around the central building of Svenska Bostäder—one of Stockholm's largest housing companies—visible at the center of these drawings.

At the time, I was working as a kitchen assistant in Svenska Bostäder’s staff restaurant, located on the top floor of the building. It had no signage at street level, and most people didn’t know it was open to the public. I suggested to Tell, the head chef, that we design a menu board. That idea later inspired the oil painting La Manzana.

One of the employees at SB noticed the menu design and asked if I could draw something as a proposal for the Vällingby center. I started drawing, and as often happens, I kept going beyond the original request. I was later paid 1,600 kronor for a concept suggesting protective structures in the open corridors to block wind and snow in winter, while allowing open space in summer. In the end, the city chose a different idea—a high roof over one section that remains today but doesn’t offer much practical shelter.

The three drawings show how the scene evolved: buildings were added, structures imagined. The final composition features a futuristic panorama, complete with a bullet train running along the subway path, a central park, and flying vehicles arriving and departing from side terminals. That last drawing eventually became an oil painting.