Field Trip!

Today we went on a field study to Northern Copenhagen. First we visited a furniture warehouse, Paustian, with some of the most beautiful modern furniture I have ever seen. Next we went to Grundtvig’s Kirke by Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint. The church was truly astounding. It is made entirely of brick (6 million, to put a number to it). It is in the style of traditional Danish churches with stepped gables, but at a much larger scale. Next we visited a Danish co-housing community. All of the families live in small houses. There is a larger community house in the center where the families take turn cooking dinner for all of the others each night. In theory I think that I a great idea and a great way to build a strong community. Apparently it works too, since the community that we visited has existed and thrived for decades. After the co-housing visit we went to another church, Bagsvaerd Church. I was skeptical when I saw the outside – it looks a little banal from the outside. The inside, however, is the opposite. A wildly undulating ceiling plane with hidden light sources makes the interior space almost magical. Finally, we went to the Louisiana Museum. I had heard great things about the museum before coming to Copenhagen. The museum definitely lived up to the hype. There was an exhibit on green architecture and interesting permanent art exhibits. My favorite part of the museum, however, was the outdoor. The museum is located right next to the water and there were several gardens and forests around the building. I was walking on a path in the forrest with two others and we stumbled across a huge slide. We each rode on it about 15 times before we had to head back to the bus.

I really enjoyed today and I am looking forward to our Sweden/Finland tour in a few days. Unfortunately, I have to get back to studio to work on my Trapholt Art Museum model due on Friday. I am hoping it won’t be too late of a night.