The Board Room

The Board Room Project was initiated to explore the history of the Stockholm School of Economics through the lens of art and design. More than perhaps any other space at SSE, the Board Room represents the intersection between historical traditions and contemporary values.

The project approach was to engage with the room’s history while preserving and respecting its original character. Through contemporary artistic interventions, the room invites reflection on how historical narratives and institutional environments are interpreted today.

Two contemporary artworks have been installed in the room: Maria Friberg’s Somewhere Else and Bella Rune’s Konsekvensanalys for the Board Room at the Stockholm School of Economics.

Somewhere Else (2016) is a photographic work created specifically for the dimensions of the room. The work explores questions of gender, power, and vulnerability. Friberg’s portraits of men in business attire challenge conventional representations of authority and masculinity by introducing expressions of fragility and introspection.

Bella Rune’s Konsekvensanalys for the Board Room at the Stockholm School of Economics is an immersive artwork using augmented reality technology. The work overlays virtual elements onto the physical environment, allowing historical portraits and surroundings to be experienced in new ways.

Augmented reality became widely recognized through technologies such as the mobile game Pokémon GO, released in 2016. Rune’s work similarly uses mobile technology to create interactions between physical and digital space, encouraging viewers to reflect on relationships between past, present, and future.