Folkets tavla
Beckmans thesis project
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What would a painting look like if the Swedish people together decided on how it was going to be made?

Through a nation wide opinion survey done by Hermelin Nordic Research, my aim was to map out peoples’ preferences. In detail. During two weeks in early 2009, the Swedish people gave their verdict. 13 questions were answered on everything from what painting size you prefer, frame, shape, motif, if you prefer figurative or abstract art, to what colors you prefer in a painting and what feeling you want a painting to communicate.

I systemized and interpreted the results from the survey carefully to ensure that the translation from numbers to painting would be as true to the research data as possible. The stats showed that oil was the most preferred technique, so I contacted one of the most promising oil painters in Scandinavia, a grad student at the Royal University College of Fine Arts in Stockholm.

Together we made an outline featuring a grid with all the elements placed out and proportionally sized. If 42% of the people preferred dogs, a dog would take up exactly 42% of the canvas. The outline was then transferred with the exact dimensions to the painting canvas using a computer and a projector.

Folkets tavla is basically an advanced chart which shows what components the Swedish people prefers in a painting. Is it something you’d hang on your wall or is it just straight up ugly? It doesn’t really matter. The aim is to raise questions on our society’s use of surveys and on democracy at large.

Thesis project at Beckmans College of Design.
Mentor: Eric Ericson