Both Elin Westerholm and Lupus Nensén have kept their identities hidden from the public, but in mid-February, they stepped forward.
You may recognise the miniature mouse houses. While most have been installed in Malmö and Lund, they've also appeared at international street art festivals worldwide. Photos of the installations have circulated widely in media and online.
Until recently, the artists remained anonymous. In mid-February, Elin Westerholm and Lupus Nensén revealed themselves as the creators and simultaneously announced the project's conclusion.
Elin Westerholm, who grew up in Söderköping, now works in the film and television industry. Among her various academic credentials is a degree in set design from Luleå University of Technology's campus in Skellefteå.
When asked if her time in Skellefteå has influenced her work with Anonymouse, she responds enthusiastically.
– It absolutely has. My studies in Skellefteå are the foundation of my current work. We learned how to create miniature models and similar designs, says Westerholm.
– In a way, every Anonymouse project has been like creating a miniature set design.
Elin Westerholm and Lupus Nensén's anonymity was a happy accident. The name Anonymouse, a play on the unnamed hacker group Anonymous, was suggested, and they embraced it fully.
One half of the artist duo, Elin Westerholm, previously studied scenography at Campus Skellefteå via LTU. “I am very fond of Skellefteå,” she says.
The street art project began nine years ago.
– Our first creation was very well received. We anticipated a few children enjoying it, but its impact turned out to be much broader than that.
One of Elin's personal favorites is the castle on the Isle of Man. "It's made of real stone, and it was a completely ridiculous project in a fun way."
The Mossen's detective agency was particularly special, according to Elin. “I like that one because it was interactive. You could follow clues to new locations around Malmö and solve a crime.”
The detective agency could be spotted in Malmö.
The reason Anonymouse ended up assembling small buildings for mice is partly because both Elin and Lupus were fascinated by the idea of a world parallel to ours.
– For example, that mice would live and use things that we throw away or drop. It’s a fun thought. Variations of it can be found in Disney, Astrid Lindgren, Beatrix Potter, and so on, says Elin.
In 2020, Ricotta Records appeared on a street in Lund.
Over the years, between 30 and 40 miniatures have been installed.
A newspaper editorial office in mouse size opened its doors in Malmö in 2022.
– We had actually planned to continue longer, as we had a long list of projects.
Why the change of plans?
– It simply felt like we'd reached a natural conclusion. We've always managed to find fresh angles to keep the project fun and interesting, whether through technical challenges or other creative approaches. But we've now explored most of what we wanted to under this particular concept. We've taken it as far as we envisioned, she says, adding:
– But this doesn't mean we'll never do another project!