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Architects: Umeå School of Architecture
- Area: 10 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Jonas Eltes
'The Waterfall that Went Silent' is a temporary sound installation and place for reflection located in the UNESCO World Heritage site Laponia. The installation seeks to remind visitors of the roar of the waterfall Stora Sjöfallet/Stuormuorkkegårttje (part of Lule River) which nearly disappeared together with a large amount of reindeer herding lands after Sweden started hydropower developments in the valley at the beginning of the 20th century. The installation reflects on the human drive for technological progress and the need for resources and energy over the natural and cultural environment. And the values that are lost in this process.
The pavilion was constructed near the Saltoloukta mountain station by the eight international students participating in the "Laponia" summer course organized by Umeå School of Architecture (initiated by lecturers, researchers and practicing architects Maxine Lundström and Toms Kokins) in 2023. The hands-on course focused on learning from Laponia and Sápmi; the unique nature, the exploitation of it, tourism, and the history and politics behind it. All of this is in relation to ancestral people who have lived in this place for more than 7000 years and still counting.
In the 1920's the state-owned company Vattenfall began to exploit the Lule River and built a hydroelectric plant that today provides Sweden with approximately 11% of its electricity supply. The construction of the Sourva dam had a significant impact on the surrounding land, creating friction between Vattenfall, its workers and the Sami community – still evident in the area today. It has been said that, before the expansion of the hydropower and the building of the Suorva dam, under the right conditions, noise from Stora Sjöfallet/Stuormuorkkegårttje, once known as the "Niagara Falls of the North", could be heard from miles away, all the way to Saltoloukta. Speculating on this anecdote, the pavilion was designed to enact the echo of Stora sjöfallet.
An important aspect of the building process was how we could learn from the Sami and nomadic tradition of relating to the landscape, that "we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children". Meaning that we had to build in a way that left an as small footprint as possible. The pavilion stood in the mountains of Saltoluokta until right before the snow arrived in September, when it was dismantled, leaving nothing but a few rearranged stones on the ground. The installation was later exhibited at Luleåbiennalen which allowed the team to reiterate the structure for an urban context and the other end of the Lule River, where the water is looked upon differently; as a mere source of energy and key in Sweden's ongoing transition to carbon-free production.
