Goatrans

Goa Trance is the name of a melodic form of trance music with an almost hypnotic soundscape. The musical style originated in the 1990s from the DJ and dance culture of the Indian state of Goa. In the 1960s, Goa was a popular destination for Western hippies, but by the time Goa Trance emerged, the former hippie culture had transformed into a rave culture.

In sculptor Fredrik Wretman’s work Goa Trance, the psychedelic trance state of a rave has been replaced with the trance and transcendence of meditation. The sculpture resembles classical representations of the meditating Buddha and has also come to be popularly known in the city as “The Buddha”. Yet it actually doesn’t depict a Buddha at all, but is instead a casting of the artist himself. The artwork is intended as a reflection on humankind’s ability to look at themselves and their place on earth.

The artist was interested in the reflections we can see in the water and the figure was first placed in the water under one of the bridges near the castle. The meditating man looked to be sitting on the surface of the water with his mirror image directly below him. He seemed to be closing his eyes and “looking inward”. The sculpture thus framed a play on physical and mental reflections. For practical reasons, the artwork was later moved to its current location on the wooden deck. This was because it frightened the Svartån River’s otter population, which didn’t dare swim past the human-like figure.

Do you often reflect on humankind’s place on earth? Try sitting beside Goa Trance, closing your eyes and listening!