Who is Mr. Walker?, a photo from Uppland, Svealand

Photographer's Note

This seven meter tall aluminium statue, weighing almost two tons, is called 'Vem är Mr. Walker?' (Who is Mr. Walker?) and is found in the centre of Stockholm.

It was made by the artist Jan Håfström (born in 1937) and has been here since September 2015. For those who are familiar with American comic strips Mr. Walker is the civilian alias of the strangely costumed crime-fighter known as 'The Phantom'.

The Phantom was created by Lee Falk in 1936, and Jan Håfström followed his adventures through Swedish newspapers as he grew up. At an old age he created this tribute to his childhood hero, commissioned by the city of Stockholm.

'Vem är Mr. Walker?' is found in a place called Järnvägsparken (Railway Park), a couple of hundred meters from the central railway station. It is generally known to be one of the ugliest places in the city, surrounded by major streets, highways and railway tracks; a kind of forgotten area where not much could be done.

It is a smartly designed three-dimensional sculpture showing Mr. Walker wearing either a red or a blue coat, depending from where you see him. He can also be black from other angles.

There are two more photos in the WS. Click at Map: view to find this place.

pajaran, ikeharel, ChrisJ, Fis2, jean113, pierrefonds, aliabazari, PaulVDV, adramad, COSTANTINO, mcmtanyel, jemaflor, Royaldevon, jhm, worldcitizen, macjake has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (117137) 2022-04-14 0:35

Pozdrav.

Lep pogled i trenutak, interesantan tekst ...
lepa velika skulptura coveka, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i uhvacenim trenutkom sa posetiocima.
Dobar rad sa lepom fotografijom u radionici.
Lepo mesto i most u pozadini.

Zelim vam lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje.
Paja

ikeharel (114691) 2022-04-14 1:07

Hello Gert,
Modern statue of Mr. Walker, stand on high ground as we see it on the WS#2, which I find more interesting than the main post, my humble opinion - merely. I guess it can be seen from the roads around.
Bright day made the colors stand out beautifully.
My best regards,
Ike

ChrisJ (172436) 2022-04-14 1:50

Hej Gert

I recognized the Mr Walker alias right away as I used to watch the cheesy 1960's tv series of Batman. Good warm cold colour contrasts and the couple add scale. Tfs!

Fis2 (172023) 2022-04-14 2:21

Witaj Gert!
Interesting set of photos.
This aluminium statue is impressive.
Excellent presentation.
Good framing, colors and light.
Comprehensive note! ;)
Warm regards.
Krzysztof

jean113 (28321) 2022-04-14 4:15

Hello Gert, I like this point of view where the background parts of the sculpture appear as a shadow of the colourful figure.
The two people in the foreground provide scale as well as balancing the composition.
It would seem to be an unusual place to position Mr Walker, but there again, why not?
Interesting notes too.
A perfect blue sky backdrop.
Kind regards, Jean.

pierrefonds (115624) 2022-04-14 4:45

Hi Gert,

You have captured well the concentration of the persons. The point of view is showing the details of the statue of Mr. Walker. The light is making the colors to stand out. Have a nice day.

Pierre

Silvio1953 (223027) 2022-04-14 4:55

Ciao Gert, great view of fantastic istallation, wonderful colors, fine details, excellent sharpness and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

aliabazari (23335) 2022-04-14 8:25

Hello Gert
A beautiful view of this 7-meter statue of Mr. Walker. I do not remember anything from this movie, I may have seen. Clarity and lighting done well. The presence of two young women gives us a good scale. I like the second picture of the workshop.

PaulVDV (63530) 2022-04-14 8:47

Hello Gert,
I've never heard of Mr. Walker before.
But what I see in these photos seems to me to be a typical figure who also appeared in Belgian comics long time ago.
More specifically, when one wanted to portray gangsters, detectives, plainclothes officers or spies.
Remarkable that you see the man in different colours when you look from a different angle.
Best regards, Paul

lousat (140046) 2022-04-14 9:49

Hi Gert,in fact the area is not very photogenic, perhaps the best view is the one in the first WS, but in the main one you can perfectly understand the silhouette of this great statue. A character I did not know and who evidently had no success in Italy, a way to revive a little this sad area near the station. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

jmdias (116579) 2022-04-14 10:56

gert

I liked more the last WS, the structure is more well shown, but the main post has personages..
I remember these comics when I was a boy, but I never read them, it was something for old people. kkk. nowadays I am old people..

take care
jorge

adramad (73484) 2022-04-14 11:21

Hi Gert.
Both this composition and the other two in the WS are splendid, which give us an appropriate vision of this enormous sculpture with a three-dimensional effect, true that depending on the angle from which you capture it, its color changes, which is enhanced very well on this beautiful sunny day. .
Sharpness, lighting, color, and magnificent composition; They are managed perfectly, in this beautiful image.
Nice job. I like very much.
You have a good day. Very best regards.
Luis.

COSTANTINO (117884) 2022-04-14 21:29

Hello dear Gert and have a nice day
and a happy week end
a walk during a sunny day
brings the best result
presenting this seven
meter tall aluminum statue
weighing almost two tons
i like both women looking at this
statue
regards
Costantino

mcmtanyel (69310) 2022-04-14 22:07

Hello Gert,
Hmm, that is one brisk walk that Mr Walker is engaged in. Are you sure he is not Mr. Runner?
Regards,
MT

jemaflor (148306) 2022-04-14 23:38

Hi Gert,
interesting photos and note about these artworks and this Mr Walker, good effect with on your shot these silhouettes of real people, a good scale, tfs.

Royaldevon (86520) 2022-04-15 5:45

Hello Gert,

You have made an ugly area come alive.
This larger-than-life character absolutely commands attention! Although the two girls are in the f/g, they serve merely to give scale and attention to Mr. Walker!

I had to smile at his name for he is definitely Mr Runner and considering his situation, he is running to catch either the train or the bus!

Have a good w/e,
Bev :-)

kasianowak (17676) 2022-04-16 7:44

This is definitely worth taking your camera for a walk. I used to like this sort of cartoons, in fact I'm still a big fan of Tintin (under the guise of practicing my French of course) which I've just re-discovered heaps of in my mum's loft and am planning to delve in there soon.
I think it's really cool that the statue's coat can be either blue or red. Thanks for the WS that shows that other view. It's nice to be able to capture this photo in brilliant sunshine and the two people are perfect to not only provide a sense of scale but also to prove general public's interest in this kind of street art.
I'm glad I've managed to catch up with your recent posts. Probably because I didn't receive a Friday quiz from Wanderlust yesterday (which, in itself, is a disappointing event).
Have a nice weekend.
Kasia

Tue (93530) 2022-04-16 8:48

Hej Gert,
Et godt billede med det store kunstværk af manden der løber væk fra stedet og mod broerne. Du fangede ham i god tid og et fint sollys. De to andre mennesker der stod og så på ham er godt kommet med.
Lars

jhm (211738) 2022-04-16 11:15

Hello Gert,

I know artist are wonderful people.
You made a lovely picture and two nice WS pictures.
This everything against a nice bridge and lovely blue sky.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice Easter weekend,
John

worldcitizen (16234) 2022-04-16 16:21

Hello Gert,
This is a great trio of photos. Mr. Walker made me smile, although it does look more like he's actually running. :-) If you hadn't mentioned that he was a crime fighter in your note, I would have thought that he was a criminal making his getaway! Take care!

GyurMaster (25049) 2022-04-18 3:24

Hello again,

It seems like that the pedestrians (maybe tourists) don't know the bg. story. They seem to a bit confused about what they see. :)

Best Wishes,
Gy.

macjake (98544) 2022-04-28 20:27

Hi Gert
now THIS is amusing. So from your note...i guess he is placed in this area to make it less Ugly? I like it, its pretty darn unique and clever with the different sides and colors. Too bad you couldn't get a more pretty backdrop for the photo, but that's not your fault. fun post
cheers
Craig