To be quite honest,I am not really sure what I thought we were going to be doing on this 3 day trip, but it definitely was not this! The last few days have been the most incredible have ever had. We stopped at amazing buildings, learned how to sketch, were brainwashed into loving water color (courtesy of Søren the watercolor teacher who is my favorite human being. ever.), bonded with friends from our own studio as well as others, learned how to count from 1 to 20 in Danish without stopping, and ate some pretty great food. I hate to give away everything we did on this trip because I went in blind and therefore had no expectations, but I think this trip is too wonderful to not share.
Day One: Kolding
We left Copenhagen earllllllly Thursday morning, boarding the bus and pulling away at 7:30 am. We drove for a few hours and crossed the iconic bridge connecting Zealand and Funen. The East Bridge, has the world's third longest main span (1.6 km), and is the longest outside of Asia. It is the pride and joy of Denmark and rightfully so. (Not my photo because all of mine are from the bus and do the bridge no justice).
Our first site visit was the Trapholt Museim in Kolding, Denmark. We got to see Arne Jacobson's Cube Flex Summerhouse next to the museum building, as well as the museum itself. Inside, there is a permanent exhibition on danish furniture design, Modern Danish visual art and sculpture, a permanent Richard Mortensen exhibition, ceramics, textiles and product designs, and the sculpture park, with works by Danish contemporary artists.
The museum itself was very beautiful, the works inside were nice but not as inspiring as others we saw on the trip.
There was also a group of children that same through the museum with their teacher. Naturally a group of 9 5 year olds is going to be noisy, but the more annoying part was the teacher shushing them. The "shhhhhh" noise does not sound like an American shhhh, it is more "seeeeewwwwwww." Just an interesting language thing I noticed.
The museum itself was very beautiful, the works inside were nice but not as inspiring as others we saw on the trip.
There was also a group of children that same through the museum with their teacher. Naturally a group of 9 5 year olds is going to be noisy, but the more annoying part was the teacher shushing them. The "shhhhhh" noise does not sound like an American shhhh, it is more "seeeeewwwwwww." Just an interesting language thing I noticed.
We then headed to the Koldinghus in Kolding. I am absolutely obsessed with this building. It was an old castle built in 1808, that was destroyed by a fire during a party and was never restored because no one had enough money to do so. Finally after years, an architecture firm took on the project and restored the castle creating a contemporary and symbolic reference to the historic building. The mix of the new restoration and the old parts of the building is a stunning rendition and I could stare at it forever. Seeing this building honestly makes me want to go into historic building restoration, something I never really found a great interest in.
Our third stop of the day was the Southern Denmark University Campus Learning Center. This building has so many intricate parts to it that make it so mesmerizing. While the building is an academic setting, it couldn't have been more quiet, even with classes and few students roaming around. The facade, while eye catching, isn't even the most important part of the building. The entire thing is shaped like a triangle and is organized to support the circulation and the interaction of the students. The building has 120 stairs, but you wouldn't even notice because of the placement of the stairs is so elegant.
There are also three graphic art installations that double as clocks, but unless you know how to read them, then art on the wall is all they will be. I would try to explain it, but I don't even understand it myself, so i put the times the pictures were taken on the caption so maybe you can figure it out! The colored facade panels on the front of the building are also a clock, each color combination is a different time as well.
This building is so intricate, I can only hope I can be apart of a design like this in the future.
After visiting the SDU Campus building, we drove to the hostel and then walked to the restaurant where we all had dinner: Nicolai Cafe. Dinner consisted of delicious pizza and either a beer or wine. Yum x100.
Day Two: Åarhus and Skanderborg
After a delicious breakfast at the hostel, day two started early and we were on the bus rolling at 8:15. Our first stop was the Åarhus Crematorium Chapel. This was the most quiet site visit we had and by far the most dynamic. The lighting in the chapel was unbelievable and had the most unique materiality. The building was made of concrete and had accents of metal (that starts with a 't' but I can't remember the name of....) in the entrance and doors. The building was eerie and an intense way to start the morning, but beautiful none-the-less.
Our next stop is the brand new Dokk 1 building. This building is Scandinavia's largest public library. Despite opened in 2012, it is already having problems. The layer behind the facade is breaking and allowing water to drip into the building. Renovations have already begun.
The entire building is raised off the ground, so to enter you must climb up a large set of stairs or take an elevator from the very cool, automated parking garage beneath. The building was made to revitalize the former cargo dock area. In fact, the entire harbor area around Dokk 1 is under construction, so there is a lot of new development which will bring more people to Åarhus.
Overall, this was my least favorite building. It just was not inspiring to me and I wish it had been. It felt so large from the exterior, but when walking through the building's interior, it felt small, cramped, and disorganized. While the plans and sections may look really cool, it just shows how different a building can feel when actually walking through it.
The entire building is raised off the ground, so to enter you must climb up a large set of stairs or take an elevator from the very cool, automated parking garage beneath. The building was made to revitalize the former cargo dock area. In fact, the entire harbor area around Dokk 1 is under construction, so there is a lot of new development which will bring more people to Åarhus.
Overall, this was my least favorite building. It just was not inspiring to me and I wish it had been. It felt so large from the exterior, but when walking through the building's interior, it felt small, cramped, and disorganized. While the plans and sections may look really cool, it just shows how different a building can feel when actually walking through it.
In between Dokk 1 and the last site of the day, we had about 2.5 hours to find lunch and explore the city of Åarhus a little on our own. A few friends and I walked along the river (that closely resembles the canal through Copenhagen) and found a restaurant to eat lunch at. I have not really eaten a nice lunch out yet since I've been to Denmark, so this meal set the bar pretty high. We were all craving "American" food, so the majority of us got some form of a burger. I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was the best I have ever had. Naturally having a danish twist, it was served with roasted thyme potatoes and a curry-mayo sauce.
After lunch, we continued to walk further into the city and leisurely admired the quaint buildings and parks. While it is the second biggest city in Denmark, it is nowhere near as busy as Copenhagen which was a major change for us. I wish we would have had more time to explore, but you never know, Aarhus has an Architecture Masters program......
After lunch, we continued to walk further into the city and leisurely admired the quaint buildings and parks. While it is the second biggest city in Denmark, it is nowhere near as busy as Copenhagen which was a major change for us. I wish we would have had more time to explore, but you never know, Aarhus has an Architecture Masters program......
Our final stop for day 2 was the Skanderup Kirke (Church). The church was built around 1200 and its frescoes (or paintings) date back to the 1500s. Due to the change in stylings of churches, the paintings were covered with plaster until they were discovered again in 1962 and restored.
The sketching challenge we had at this site was to draw a perspective of the interior vaults. The commentary during this sketching session was the most hilarious of the entire trip (when you see the vaults, you will understand why).
The grounds surrounding the church were also very interesting, reminding us of a giant zen garden.
Interesting fun fact: this is the church my host mom grew up going to!
The sketching challenge we had at this site was to draw a perspective of the interior vaults. The commentary during this sketching session was the most hilarious of the entire trip (when you see the vaults, you will understand why).
The grounds surrounding the church were also very interesting, reminding us of a giant zen garden.
Interesting fun fact: this is the church my host mom grew up going to!
After the church, we retired to our hostel for the night. It was way back in the woods by a lake and our rooms were in little cabins! When we got to the hostel, we immediately when canoeing. I've never been, but it was super fun! Although the wind gave us quite the workout. Dinner was promptly at 6:15 followed by a sketchbook review paired with danish beer. We all sat while the sun was setting and passed our sketchbooks in a big circle. Needless to say it was the best sketchbook review I have ever gone through, but it was also a very humbling experience as there are so many talented people in the program.
After our sketchbook review, we joined in the other DIS programs staying at the same hostel and made Snobrød, or Campfire Bread. We each got a bamboo stick and a blob of dough which you roll into a snake and then twist around your stick. Then you cook it over the camp fire for 10-15 minutes. When it is done, you typically fill the hole from the stick with jams or nutella, but we did not have those, so instead we untwisted it stuck pieces of chocolate and marshmallow from the s'more table inside. We all sat around the camp fire and talked until the ambers went cold.
After our sketchbook review, we joined in the other DIS programs staying at the same hostel and made Snobrød, or Campfire Bread. We each got a bamboo stick and a blob of dough which you roll into a snake and then twist around your stick. Then you cook it over the camp fire for 10-15 minutes. When it is done, you typically fill the hole from the stick with jams or nutella, but we did not have those, so instead we untwisted it stuck pieces of chocolate and marshmallow from the s'more table inside. We all sat around the camp fire and talked until the ambers went cold.
Day Three: Åarhus Day Two
The night before, one of the tour leaders commented that the sunrise was beautiful over the lake and there were beautiful running trails around the lake as well. Two other girls and I took advantage of this and as painful as it was go get out of bed that early (6:30) it was totally worth it. The sunrise was breathtaking, a wonderful way to start our last day on tour.
After breakfast, we packed up our things and headed to our first destination: the ARoS Kunstmuesum (a.k.a. the place with the rainbow panorama and the giant boy).
Side Story: When we first met Søren on Monday during the visual journaling sessions, he told us about a painting in this museum. He told us of the emotion in the painting and how much thought for each part went into it. It is so easy to just sit and listen to a professor tell you about a painting, or building, but it isn't until you see it for yourself that you fully understand. That is what this trip is all about, and we all realized it when we saw this painting in person.
After breakfast, we packed up our things and headed to our first destination: the ARoS Kunstmuesum (a.k.a. the place with the rainbow panorama and the giant boy).
Side Story: When we first met Søren on Monday during the visual journaling sessions, he told us about a painting in this museum. He told us of the emotion in the painting and how much thought for each part went into it. It is so easy to just sit and listen to a professor tell you about a painting, or building, but it isn't until you see it for yourself that you fully understand. That is what this trip is all about, and we all realized it when we saw this painting in person.
Anyways... back to the museum! After Søren marched us right to this painting, we were free to roam the museum for 2 hours. All of us went up to the rainbow panorama walkway first where we promptly had a photoshoot (obviously). We then all broke away and continued to explore the rest of the museum.
I was particularly excited about this museum as the Robert Mapplethorpe - On the Edge exhibit was there. His images were captivating, through provoking, and provocative. It is incredible to hear his story and see the work that caused such controversy and paved the way for artistic censorship.
We also got to see the giant boy, who no matter what angle you look at him, he is still giant and still has a frighteningly eerie look in his eyes. We didn't spend much time there.
We felt very rushed through this museum, but we got to see the important things. I hope I can make it back there again someday.
I was particularly excited about this museum as the Robert Mapplethorpe - On the Edge exhibit was there. His images were captivating, through provoking, and provocative. It is incredible to hear his story and see the work that caused such controversy and paved the way for artistic censorship.
We also got to see the giant boy, who no matter what angle you look at him, he is still giant and still has a frighteningly eerie look in his eyes. We didn't spend much time there.
We felt very rushed through this museum, but we got to see the important things. I hope I can make it back there again someday.
The final site visit was to the Åarhus Rådhus (town hall) designed entirely by Arne Jacobson. The iconic building did not originally have the tower as part of the design, but upon winning the design competition, Jacobson added the tower. However, nor he or the commissioners liked the tower but by that time it was too late and was built anyways. Everything in the building was designed by Jacobson, from the building itself to the lights to the ashtrays. We had only 30 minutes in this building, so we were not able to sketch any of it by the time Søren was done speaking (raving) about it. But I can understand why; it is a style and an iconic building for Denmark. It was a nice ending to the site visits.
After a delicious lunch just across the street from the town hall, we were on our way back to Copenhagen! We were supposed to take the ferry back majority of the way, but the ferry place would not let our (gigantic) bus on the ferry... so we drove the entire way back. It actually went pretty darn fast.
When I got home, I was expecting an empty house because the family was supposed to go to their house in Sweden for the weekend. But instead I was met with welcoming faces and a hot dinner as my host mom hurt her back so they decided to stay home. I love living in a homestay.
After dinner, I promptly went to bed and slept for 12 hours.
If this is what 3 days was like, I cannot even begin to imagine what a week in Switzerland and Germany is going to be like.
When I got home, I was expecting an empty house because the family was supposed to go to their house in Sweden for the weekend. But instead I was met with welcoming faces and a hot dinner as my host mom hurt her back so they decided to stay home. I love living in a homestay.
After dinner, I promptly went to bed and slept for 12 hours.
If this is what 3 days was like, I cannot even begin to imagine what a week in Switzerland and Germany is going to be like.