Not the silent type. But now more inviting than ever before. Petter Wallenberg tells Tor Bergman why you should join him and Grolsch Studios in the making of his new death-infested project
Fabulous. That is the only epithet that Petter Wallenberg aspires to. Any other label is just a bonus, he adds. Known as a music producer, author and artist, this grand provocateur has taken his out-of-the-ordinary magazine Mums and moved into Grolsch Studios, a forum for alternative artistic expressions. The upcoming fifth issue of Mums will be evolving around the theme of death – as in the proposed passing of the classic printed magazine. That is all that we know so far.
“We’re basically opening up the creative process of making a magazine and letting the public decide where we’re heading. That’s why we we’ve hooked up with GrolschStudios.se, which is a creative platform for interactive culture. Any ideas people might want to see in the magazine are welcome. Is there even going to be a printed magazine, or something completely new? Are magazines a dying art form? We’d like to play with that notion.”
Since day one, Mums has been a magazine with a very extrovert tone, and, like much of Wallenberg’s work, it is steeped in the tradition of camp. Naturally this tone has its roots in classic gay culture, but it is not necessarily gay, as Wallenberg points out – just outsider art. The art of the mentally ill, children or others who have not been indoctrinated by art school.
It was while studying illustration and graphic design at Central Saint Martins in London that he learned how to stretch the boundaries of his creativity.
“Everything I do I do because of Saint Martins. A great, very anarchistic school,” he says. “I love all things artistic, but not necessarily all art. But without art, mankind is nothing. Creativity is what sets us apart from all other creatures.”
Wallenberg’s own curiosity has moved him far beyond his initial jobs as an illustrator and graphic artist. Today he is equally well known as a musician and producer. Under the banner House of Wallenberg his single Love Yourself was recently the signature of a major HIV-awareness campaign – a song that even the infamous Perez Hilton, with a cool six million Twitter followers, helped to promote to international awards. Not too long ago he also wrote a book on the Swedish hip-hop icon Leila K, a study with content as controversial as her life apparently, since it created some heated debates even before its release. Nevertheless, Wallenberg ranks her as the only true rock star in Sweden, and they have also collaborated musically
Sweden is a cold motherfucking place, in many ways. “The unbearably long and dark winters make you suicidal and maybe creativity is the only way to survive,” Wallenberg says. Nothing comes easy here. “Swedes have been developing skills to make beautiful things, from flat-pack furniture to global pop music. I think that’s pretty fierce.”
In Stockholm Wallenberg is also known as one the most eclectic club managers around. His club nights are overflowing with love and colourful performances – they’re a hedonistic mecca for lovers of classic house music and all under the label of “Mums Mums”. Partying is essential, he believes.
“We party because it’s in our DNA. Mankind has always partied, since the beginning of time, when cavemen danced naked around campfires. It’s a tribal ritual, and an important part of our survival as a species. It reinforces identity and unity. Sex and magic. Love and togetherness. Without parties we would never have survived.”
Credits:
words by Tor Bergman
MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: Johannes Helje. GROLSCH STUDIOS, Christian Hagward, MUMS MAGAZINES, Makode Linde.