On behalf of the winner...

Ms Bandolin was unfortunately not able to make it to the House of Ambitions for the ceremony, but has put forward the following statement: "The public opinion is very important for me as it is for every artist working in the public realm. I am an artist (not an architect, as I am presented in the exhibition) and a professor and teach at the Master's programme Art in the Public Realm at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. The way I get to know the public opinion is both through comments, but as often in the way they use my sculptures in the public. I have been working with public places for a long time. Over the years my places have been used in many ways, which has given my inspiration to construct new places. My sculptures have been used for such diverse events as weddings, children's babtizements, art-installations, as well as sets for TV and film production, and cd covers (McCoy Tyner used my sculpture Socrates Well in New York on his cd cover, which I found out by finding the cd in a shop in Stockholm). They are often used for leisure means, as sun bathing, picnics, gymnastics, biking, playing etc. This is the way the public tell me what they think of my work. Somtimes they are tagged by graffiti artists too, but not very often. "Conditions: "In general, what is your opinion about architectural prizes? "Gunilla Bandolin: "Architectural prizes are ok."