Spark your imagination with music: MusikBojen

We’re covering all your senses at this year’s edition of Affordable Art Fair Stockholm! Discover what events and live music you can enjoy at the fair (20 – 24 April), from our charity partner MusikBojen.

Viveka Nordström, MusikBojen’s events coordinator, will be responsible for organising this year’s music programme that will be sure to keep you entertained throughout the fair. Read on for a taster of what she has planned for us and how music and music therapy will be incorporated in our exciting programme to celebrate our 10-year anniversary.

Many children in Sweden need support to be able to process social, physical, and mental difficulties or to communicate their feelings. Some suffer from a serious illness or disability. Others are refugees who have come to Sweden under dramatic circumstances. Many are orphaned, have parents in prison or have grown up surrounded by drugs and alcohol, and many have also been, or are currently, being bullied.

Thanks to grants and donations from foundations, companies and individuals, MusikBojen finances music therapy projects at children’s hospitals and health clinics, residential care homes for children and adolescents, child and adolescent psychiatry clinics (BUP), children’s rehabilitation centres, as well as several other important facilities around Sweden.

MusikBojen’s group of medical experts consists of child psychiatrists, doctors, music therapists and a neuropsychologist.

Their vision is that all children and adolescents in need should be able to access music therapy. They should feel seen, cared for, and continue to grow as people.

MusikBojen was founded in 2017 by Claire Rosvall, founder and Secretary-General of the charity Min Stora Dag, with several co-founders including the world-famous Swedish music producer and songwriter Max Martin.

What is music therapy?

Music therapy is an artistic, resource-enhancing form of therapy that can be conducted individually or in groups.

Evidence suggests that music therapy is beneficial for all individuals, both physically and mentally, and offers opportunities for communication and social interaction.

Music therapists use their techniques in many areas, ranging from stress and pain relief to physical rehabilitation. They can address a variety of healthcare & educational goals, with patients reporting improved heart rate, reduced anxiety, memory enhancement and improved learning and communication.

MUSIC AT THE FAIR

“One of the aims of MusikBojen is to spread knowledge about music therapy, so we are looking forward to take part in the Art Talk: Spark your imagination and wellbeing with music, where music therapist Katarina Lindblad will talk about the psychotherapeutic method GIM, Guided Imagery and Music.

We will have music by DJ Olof Rosvall, whose unique take on Disco and Motown will serve as an accompaniment to your exploration of the fair, and we will be auctioning a painting by singer and painter Caroline af Ugglas (in collaboration with Tradera and Target Aid).

On Saturday night we will remain open for a late visit and musical evening as part of the annual cultural manifestation Kulturnatt Stockholm which takes place in numerous venues around Stockholm.

Musical artist on stage will include the original cast of the musical Mellan Oss, written by Cornelia Olofson, performing a medley from the musical, as well as Multi-instrumentalist Jacob Douglas, whose debut album Austers has garnered him rave reviews from Nöjesguiden and music blog PSL.

Sousou & Maher Cissoko, a multiple award-winning Swedish-Senegalese duo, will give us an unforgettable world music performance using their stringed kora instruments. The duo has toured all over the world with their cross-bordering music combining kora playing, expressive vocals as well as an energetic rhythm with influences from reggae, folk, soul & jazz. Welcome to a magical musical journey…“

Viveka Nordström

Read on for the detailed programme!

Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 April

Art Auction with Caroline af Ugglas

In collaboration with  Tradera + TARGET AID

Caroline af Ugglas is a Swedish soul-pop singer who rose to fame as a contestant in the annual Melodifestivalen. She made her solo album debut in 1997 with Ida Blue, followed by Mrs. Boring in 1999. Her big break came in 2007 when she qualified for that year’s Melodifestivalen with her song “Tror på Dig” and concurrently released Joplin på Svenska, a tribute album to American rock legend Janis Joplin. Caroline appeared on Melodifestivalen again in 2009, with her song “Snälla Snälla”, and her album Så Gör Jag Det Igen topped the Swedish charts.

Caroline has been writing music since childhood, in parallel with her painting practice. She has become a household name thanks to her openness, unbridled energy and spontaneity. Her versatility has allowed her to cover many art forms: she is a singer, song teacher, choir leader, author, and visual artist.

During her career as a painter she developed her own form and colour scheme which she has named ”Antidepressism”. She mostly works in mixed media, with a predilection for photography mixed with oil painting on canvas.

As both a singer and a painter, Caroline was the perfect choice for our collaboration, and we are very excited to have her on site at Affordable Art Fair Stockholm on Wednesday 20 April!

Caroline will be donating an original artwork called ‘I am a singer’; the auction will kick off on Wednesday on Tradera, with the possibility to donate via Target Aid as well. The painting will hang in MusikBojen’s booth throughout the fair.

All the money raised will go to MusikBojen and music therapy for children and adolescents in need.

Image Credit:

‘I am a Singer’

Mixed media, oil on canvas, 38 x 26 cm

Music by DJ Olof Rosvall

Olof Rosvall has played at most most clubs around Stockholm, Uppsala and abroad for the past decade.

Olof will make use of his modern touch of Disco and Motown to bring us all into the good vibe!

Saturday 23 April

KULTURNATT

MELLAN OSS Live performance

Created, written and composed by Cornelia Olofson | Performed by Veronika Eriksson, Emma Berggren, Amanda Hjertman and Cornelia Olofson

Mellan Oss is a story about the highs and lows of love. About being terribly in love and completely lost under the power of love, but also about the longing for validation and the fear of being alone.

Mellan Oss premiered as a film in the spring of 2021 and on stage in autumn 2021. The entire musical is also available on Spotify, while the film is on Youtube.

During Kulturnatten Cornelia Olofson and part of the original cast of Mellan Oss will perform a selection of songs from the musical.

Live music by Sousou & Maher Cissoko

The Swedish-Senegalese duo Sousou & Maher Cissoko mix musical influences from the continents of the world to a unique blend of folk, reggae, soul and jazz.

The duo have toured in over 30 countries with gigs everywhere from schools to clubs, from city festivals to grand concert halls. They appeal to a wide audience with their special energy and personal story.

Together they have become sort of ambassadors for Jali culture and the Kora, the West African stringed instrument related to both the lute and the harp, which they both skilfully master.

The main role of the Jali is to convey stories through music and create understanding between people, while preserving its musical heritage. In Sousou & Maher Cissoko’s interpretation, that means magnificent choral playing and soulful singing combined with a rhythmic energy and influences from reggae, mbalax, folk, soul and jazz. This also becomes clear as the duo sings in five different languages.

Sousou & Maher Cissoko’s music is just as cross-border as the life they live together: with musical and human encounters as main driving forces, and constantly in motion.

Live music by Jacob Douglas

Multi-instrumentalist and ex-drummer of the Swedish indie band Sonjagon released his debut album Austers last year.

The pop/rock artist created the album during a period of heartache and waves of depression, but on Fårö he found his way back to music. He took the album name from a mythological place on the island.

The Swedish troubadour’s music has been described as ”the very same ‘magic’ that runs in the DNA of his transatlantic counterparts of say, Bon Iver” by UK’s music blog The Line Of Best Fit.

Prior to Douglas release of Austers, his stripped-down cover version of Dressed for Success was shared by the legends Roxette and went viral on Youtube and Spotify.

Find Jacob Douglas’s music on Spotify!

Sunday 24 April

ART TALK : Spark your imagination and wellbeing with music

MusikBojen’s founder Claire Rosvall will introduce music therapist and PhD Katarina Lindblad who works primarily with adults suffering from life crises such as trauma, depression, and burnout.

Katarina Lindblad works as a music therapist in her private practice Musikterapicentrum and in palliative care.

She also works as a project manager for Riksförbundet Hjärnkoll’s senior activities, as a freelance presenter of classical music at Swedish Radio P2 / Berwaldhallen and as a freelance concert singer.

In this art talk, Katarina will present the creative music therapy method GIM, Guided Imagery and Music, a powerful psychotherapeutic approach based on listening to classical music in a relaxed, slightly altered state of consciousness, combined with image creation and conversation.

The talk contains case examples of how GIM helps, and the audience will be invited to participate in a short music listening experience.

Don’t miss out on a memorable week of art & music: join us at Affordable Art Fair on 20 – 24 April in Nacka Strandmässan!

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