They are the winner of the cultural award of the year – Kristianstadsbladet

Photo: Peter Nyberg

The winner of this year's cultural prize in Sölvesborg, Mats Nilsson (other on the left) and Jens Thoms Ivarsson, surrounded by the municipal council Heléne Björklund (S) and Viveka Olofsson (S), chairman of the municipal council. The laureates received a tribute at a ceremony on Wednesday evening in the tingshuset.

Sölvesborg's brother, Mats Nilsson, 62, is the fourth-generation rock shaker. Previously, he ran the stone quarry at Sölve. It started the father of his grandfather, Nils Nilsson. It's here that Mats Nilsson and Jens Thoms Ivarsson met for the first time.

– Jens started working with me at the Stone Quarry, then continued reading industrial drawings in Gothenburg. Then he heard about his graduation project, says Mats Nilsson.

The work resulted in a sink, to wash his face and get to the inside. The peculiarity of the handle was that she was rising and falling and that she was attracting a lot of attention.

"It was the beginning of the company we had been working with for twelve years, we traveled the world with exhibitions in Tokyo, New York and Berlin.Our work with art and design is very well done, says Jens Thoms Ivarsson.

He is 45 years old and currently works for the city of Gothenburg as artistic leader. Jens Thoms Ivarsson's task is to make the city the best in the world in rainy weather.

"Water has followed me all my life When you work with stone, you work a lot with water and when I was a firefighter, I also worked with water. It's thanks to Mats Nilsson, a long-time firefighter, like me too, "he says.

Jens Thoms Ivarsson has been working for a few years at the Jukkasjärvi Ice Hotel. A project also related to Mats Nilsson. Ice is a different material than stone, but it is also water.

"We were curious to do things and found the hotel ice cream exciting.It's been 16 years that we are working on it, but now that I have finished my last season," says Mats Nilsson, who still has a small door open for a suite.

Nowadays, he works with his son, Jon Nilsson, who was also involved in the hotel. The son is the fifth generation stone shaker. Mats Nilsson also works for artists, including Johnny Martinsson in Karlshamn.

Now, he and Jens Thoms Ivarsson are talking about doing something exciting new project together. Where these thoughts land, none of them knows it today.

"We follow our hearts and we have always dared, we have a foundation in craftsmanship and design and we like to do things in the public space," said Jens Thoms Ivarsson.

On Wednesday evening, the winners of the Culture Prize received a check for 20,000 SEK at a ceremony in the tingshuset.

"They do wonderful and spectacular things, which is the last time I share the cultural prize in Sölvesborg," says Helene Björklund (S), outgoing city council.

The festivities began with PG Wallnäs' guitar alongside her 16-year-old daughter Rut Leola Wallnäs, who represented the song. The evening ended with a meeting with the laureates and the 50 or so people present in the tingshuset.