2019 & 2020 Hasselblad Foundation Jubilee
2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Hasselblad Foundation. 2019 was an event-filled anniversary year, which we celebrated in a number of ways, including the publication of three new books.
The Hasselblad Foundation 40 Years
The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation was established in 1979 and is a unique platform for Nordic photography. The foundation’s primary mission is to support research and scientific education within both the natural sciences and photography. This goal is accomplished through the award of grants to the natural sciences and photography, the Hasselblad Award, and support for photographic research. Three large exhibitions are organized annually at the Hasselblad Center at the Gothenburg Art Museum, one of which features that year’s recipient of the Hasselblad Award. Since 1999 there is also a research library, today the country’s sole library dedicated to photo books.
The bird photographer Victor Hasselblad took his dream from the birds to the moon. The Hasselblad Foundation ensures that this journey continues.
50 Years Since The Moon Landing
On the evening of July 20th, Swedish time, the Eagle landed on the moon in the Sea of Tranquility. One-fifth of the world’s population sat in front of their television sets for hours into the night, watching grainy images of how Neil Armstrong descended the nine steps of the lunar module. As the first human, he set foot on the surface of the moon and made the unforgettable statement, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” 18 minutes later also Buzz Aldrin stood with his feet on the sandy surface of the moon.
Both astronauts remained on the surface of the moon for two and a half hours, and gathered approximately twenty kilos of moon rock before climbing back into the lunar module. With them they also carried a large number of photographs they had taken with their modified Hasselblad cameras, attached to their chests, images today considered canonical.
The permanent collection Hasselblad and the Moon at the Hasselblad Center explores the development of the Hasselblad camera, the vital collaboration between NASA and the individuals behind the camera company and the Hasselblad Foundation: Erna and Victor Hasselblad.
Anniversary Grants x 2
For the Hasselblad Foundation’s 40th anniversary, we will be recognizing two fields: the natural sciences and photography, with two grants, each in the amount of SEK 200,000.
Within photography we are focused on artists and photographers who experiment with the digital and digitization. Not only the technical, but also formal and conceptual efforts will be prioritized.
Within the natural sciences we are focused on the importance of communication. The grant is aimed at researchers, journalists, and communicators who work with making research in the natural sciences accessible.
Deadline for applications is August 15.
Space Week September 14-22
The Hasselblad Foundation is a partner during Space Week, which takes place September 14-22 in recognition of the fifty years which have passed since the first moon landing. Space Week attends to what was and what will be, gazes to the future from the vantage point of history, out into space and then back to earth, and offers a broad program of events concerning the significance of outer space for innovation, inspiration, science, industry, research, ecology, sustainability, the social good, culture, art, and creativity. The program is geared to all ages and will consist of a multitude of activities.
Hasselblad cameras were utilized during all of the Apollo missions and the collaboration with NASA continued into the 2000s. But Gothenburg’s connections to outer space are more than Hasselblad’s cameras — western Sweden is a force within space exploration and Gothenburg, with its prominent space industry, research, and education, is often termed Sweden’s space capital.