The adornment of the sports centre of Tingvalla was not only about a public space on the ground but about two fronts of the building, which was a large hall for ball games and rock climbing. The building is highly visible from the adjacent streets and roads where a lot of traffic passes through.  The problem here was not to clear the surfaces; the fronts were as simple as could be. Even the colour was neutral  – a light grey. The sports centre was anonymous, and it did everything not to be seen, dominate or call attention to itself.  Still it upset people just because it was so discreet. They felt it was boring and ugly. The commission was to adorn it in order to make it more interesting, to give it meaning.

The sports centre is located by the city boundary. What became obvious through the commission was that these traffic routes are important public places. The citizens really care about the entrance to the city; it, too, contributes to the identity of the city. I liked it that the building is so monolithic and that the colour is so soft. It was a great background to work against. It was a wonder that this surface had not already been sold for advertising.

Four spheres are mounted on two sides of the building, one on one wall, three on the other. When you pass by the building going towards the group of sculptures the constellation changes; the design becomes more dynamic as you view it from different angles. The spheres radiate lightness and movement, making you think of the playful force of the game and of play as such. The spheres can be viewed as normal, bouncing balls as well as circling planets, suns that lighten up the dark. Although they are moored to the house they are free of it. They can be viewed as an image of the idea of motion but also as individuals in interaction, as agents rather than objects. The adornment was given the name Homo Ludens – the human being at play – a name signifying play, playfulness and representing the activities inside the hall.