Utter Inn (Swedish) or in English, Otter Inn, is an art project by Mikael Genberg that offers underwater accommodation to the public. Mikael Genberg, a local artist and sculptor who has chosen to focus on "making art for the public".
The facility is entered through a small, typical-appearing Swedish house located on the surface of the water. The only representation of this concept is, at this point, located in Lake Malaren near the town of Vasteras in Sweden.
The visible section of the Inn, which looks like a floating gardening shack in the middle of Lake Malaren, includes a kitchenette and little dining area surrounded by an outdoor terrace. The bedroom is down a ladder below the water has windows with fish views on all sides. The single room of the hotel lies 3m below the surface of Lake Malaren in Vasteras, Sweden and contains only twin beds and a table.
It opened in June 2000 on the coldest, rainiest day in the whole summer. Despite that it was a great success. Not only did all the untested solutions work, it also attracted a lot of people.
This alternative dwelling also includes a sense of risk taking and adventure that tends to expand the sensory input. One should not forget the psychological term "transfer of exaltation". Roughly explained it is about man's tendency to transform the experience of fear to an experience of love. You don't want to feel afraid so the brain changes the emotion to something far more pleasant. You feel more alive. In this sense arranged, controlled fear can be very important.
Guests of Utter Inn arrive at the port of Västerås and they are taken the 1 km out to the hotel on the lake Malaren and provided with an inflatable boat, instructions and are then left alone. If they have selected the deluxe version they will get a visit later with their supper.
Guests have the opportunity to use an inflatable canoe to visit the closest uninhabited island. Some have enough courage to swim (the UHOTW team were too scared!), or to sunbathe upstairs, or watch the fish (both upstairs and downstairs).
There is a remarkable feeling to go to bed while the fish are surrounding and watching you carefully. You are in an aquarium - for fish to be beholders of man.
Often boats come quite close to get a glance of the daring inhabitants. Swedish boatpeople are however always very polite and never takes more than two trips around your room!!!
