[Revisiting ARARAT, Ulrika Jansson and Jan Öqvist 2015. Photos: Erik Sjödin]

In Search for ARARAT is a research project by artist Ulrika Jansson, starting out from the exhibition ARARAT – Alternative Research in Architecture, Resources, Art and Technology at Moderna Museet in Stockholm 1976.

ARARAT was an ambitious interdisciplinary project showing existing alternatives of how to build an ecologically sound society taking its energy from renewable resources. In workshops and other meetings during the course Architectural Theory and History at Mejan Arc / Royal institute of Art in Stockholm Ulrika Jansson brings together some of the original members of ARARAT with a number of people involved in architecture, art and sustainability issues today. Together the participants try to create a picture of what ARARAT was, what we can learn from the project today and how we can develop collaborations between different disciplines relevant to the challenges we face in the contemporary state of societies and culture.

At 26th of May Ulrika Jansson invited the original member of ARARAT Jan Öqvist to hold a guided walk at Skeppsholmen where ARARAT used to be situated and to show a slideshow with original images of ARARAT. Afterwards the group of invited guests participated in a workshop where we discussed two questions: What ways of working with ARARAT in 1976 do you find most interesting? And how do the challenges we face today differ from 1976 and in what ways do we need to approach them now?