Fields Of Vision

Thanks to its mix of bucolic setting, historic architecture, and cutting-edge art, the Swedish estate known as WANÅS has become a destination for cultural insiders. Now a smart new restaurant and inn are giving more travellers reason to make the trip.

- Gisela Williams

ON A CHILLY MID-APRIL MORNING,MY THREE YOUNG CHILDREN and I were in rural southern Sweden, tramping along a dirt path through dense woods of pine and beech. Suddenly, the sporadic birdcalls were interrupted by the incongruous sounds of electronic music. “Did you hear that?” asked one of my daughters. We all nodded, continuing toward the increasingly audible strains of dreamy techno-pop. Reaching the top of a low ridge, we found ourselves looking into a clearing inhabited by strange, candy-coloured sculptures of insects, acorns, and leaves arrayed on a mirrored floor. With reflections of the surrounding greenery beneath them, this coterie out of Alice in Wonderland melded surreally into the forest. “Cool!” yelled my oldest as she ran ahead. For the next 10 minutes, we shimmied and spun around the space to hypnotizing beats seemingly piped in from the tops of trees.