Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art and Stockholm University teamed up on a major initiative: Accelerator, an artistic forum located in an old physics laboratory.

The purpose of the new Accelerator is not only to display art and show “what artworks convey and connote,” but also to “discuss how artists do it.” The aim is to create an open arena for interdisciplinary discourse for artists and the general public alike.

“The idea has been in preparation and under development for a long time,” says Astrid Söderbergh Widding, Vice-Chancellor of Stockholm University. “Now the premises are ready and renovation is starting right away.”

The project is scheduled to open 2017 in the former Manne Siegbahn laboratory, where until 18 months ago there was an enormous accelerator that had been used for research in atomic and molecular physics. The mission statement for Accelerator emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach between the humanities, social science and science departments.

“It’s a totally unique place that explicitly connects art, science and society,” says Professor Söderbergh Widding.

The 1,700-square meter space boasts a spectacular underground hall. Property owner Akademiska hus is in charge of the conversion, which will include the creation of a “black box” for moving images as well as an auditorium, a café and a “laboratory” for research. “The space is an inventors’ workshop, and the hall has 20-foot (7 meter) ceilings,” says David Neuman, Museum Director at Magasin III and one of the initiators of the program. “It has the potential to be a remarkable place with extraordinary programming.”

The idea of an artistic “laboratory” with a multidisciplinary agenda has gradually germinated in conversations between David Neuman and art professor Margaretha Rossholm-Lagerlöf, amongst others. Both Neuman and Rossholm-Lagerlöf were initiators of Sweden’s first ever curator program at Stockholm University, which started in 2003.

David Neuman is still on the steering committee for the university’s Master’s in Curating Art and is also an affiliated professor; he also teaches at the university and welcomes student interns at Magasin III. He and Rossholm-Lagerlöf first pitched the Accelerator idea to the then vice-chancellor of the university five years ago.

“One of the ideas behind Accelerator is to give the curator students a new arena in which to develop their knowledge and skills on the production of exhibitions,” explains David Neuman.

When Magasin III opened in 1987 in Stockholm’s Free Port, financed by Robert Weil and his company Proventus, it was the first private institution in Sweden with a focus on contemporary art. It is an international institution with a growing collection, which was acknowledged by the addition of the word “museum” to its name last year.

Magasin III has long-standing experience as a private cultural institution, which will be an asset to Accelerator as it negotiates a cultural landscape that has shifted significantly in recent decades. Neuman and Weil have carefully deliberated over how they can preserve and share the knowledge and working methods that the institution has built up over the years. “And we couldn’t think of a better place than the university,” says David Neuman.

According to Neuman, while many universities around the world have incorporated art museums into their campuses, the Accelerator model will be more radical and exploratory.

“We’ll continue to mount exhibitions at Magasin III, but the more experimental programming will take place at Accelerator,” he says.

Magasin III will bring its considerable artistic know-how and also contribute to the financing. This has led to a decision to sell 19 works from its collection, something that is possible for a private institution.

“It is exclusively acquired works, not any that artists have created in collaboration with Magasin III. The sale may be controversial, but these works make up a tiny fraction of our collection, which contains close to a thousand works. We feel that it’s a sensible way of enabling us to connect with a new, young audience.”

The works, which Sotheby’s in New York has valued at around 65 million kronor, will go under the hammer at their contemporary art auction on 11-12 November. The most valuable work is a painting by Agnes Martin, but there are also sculptures by Bruce Nauman and Anish Kapoor, as well as some Cindy Sherman photographs. One part of the profit will go to financing new acquisitions and the other to Accelerator.

David Neuman and Robert Weil are convinced that broad education is a benefit to society. In 2013 Weil wrote an opinion piece in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter in which he warned about the effects of the declining support of the humanities and the arts within the Swedish school system. He emphasized how crucial art, culture and creative experimentation are for all aspects of society, including the corporate sector.

“The endeavor that Magasin III is now undertaking with Stockholm University is a natural step in our continued interest in education,” says Robert Weil. “We hope that Accelerator will be the experimental hub we need to better understand the ever-more complicated world in which we live.”

Professor Johan Kleman is the pro tem director of Accelerator during the construction phase, and the senior advisor to the Vice-Chancellor on strategic partnerships. He tells DN that the details of the conversion and the financial negotiations have not yet been finalized, but that the university will cover the costs of renovating and leasing the premises. Aside from Magasin III, he expects to have additional strategic partnerships with other private financiers.

Kleman has considerable experience in building new enterprises and structures within the university, and has so far been instrumental in founding new departments for Baltic Sea cooperation, climate research, Turkish studies and other subjects.

“This is a thrilling and very special project,” he says. “With Accelerator we are entering uncharted waters. It’s a long-term undertaking that rests on an abiding collaboration with Magasin III.”

The underground accelerator hall will meet strict climate requirements, which is essential for exhibiting sensitive art on loan. Stockholm University also has a remarkable art collection at the Scheffler Palace on Drottninggatan in Stockholm and the ambition is now to establish relations with other universities that possess art collections.

An artistic director with “an extensive knowledge of art combined with a receptiveness towards compelling contemporary issues” is to be hired along with a director, technicians and administrative staff. Teachers, research and postgraduates from the university will be engaged on a project basis.

Accelerator’s mission states that it will operate without the need to be “populist”.

“Of course, any activity run at a university isn’t commercial, and there will be free admission to the space,” says Astrid Söderbergh Widding. “It’s extremely important to us that we fulfill our third mission, to not only work with education and research but also connect with the outside community.

What she means is that it isn’t just talk about Accelerator any longer, she adds:

“Now, it’s all systems go!”

Published in Dagens Nyheter October 7, 2015 Reporter: Birgitta Rubin