Fiskerkonen på besøg på Sydhavn Station
The Fishmonger visits Sydhavn Station
Summary
Relocations of sculpture from the “finer” area in central Copenhagen to a new spot on the outskirts of town, and right next to the artist run exhibiton space Sydhavn Station. Next to this new placement of the sculpture we also mounted a large billboard on which the group of artists behind the exhibition space will show contemporary artistic takes on this older sculptural work.
Supported by
Kgs Enghave Local Council, The Danish Arts council, Copenhagen City Council
Description of project
Copenhagen is currently undergoing a transformation in connection with the Metro construction, and therefore several sculptures around the city have been removed to a storeroom. This is a great chance to try to relocate and rethink these landmarks that we pass by everyday without paying much attention to them. Perhaps this restaging of them will also make us take a closer look at them as art, as history, as propagandistic intentions, or something completely different. For that reason, the exhibition space Sydhavn Station, proposed a project to the citycouncil, where we would relocate these sculptures to the small square outside Sydhavn Station for the duration of the metroconstruction. The exhibition space Sydhavn Station, is located at an S-train station in “Sydhavn” a very practically looking, and rather undervalued neighbourhood on the outskirts of the central Copenhagen area.
• The council agreed to let us borrow the sculpture “the fishmonger” that used to be situated in central Copenhagen right across from the big equestrian statue of Absalon (the founder of Copenhagen) and the national parliament. The fishmonger was erected in 1940 by the towncouncil in honor of the ladies who were selling fish in that spot, and perhaps also to claim, that these everyday endeavors were as worthy of having a sculpture carved as were primeministers and founding fathers. In a way this social story of what is fine enough for art, seemed to fit quite well to the social story of Sydhavn Station.
Description of work included
Billboard:
Furthermore, we also had a large billboard mounted under the railway bridge next to the statue. During 2015-16, the 10 artists from Exhibition Space Sydhavn Station will exhibit works on this billboard that will accompany, frame and contextualize – or be accompanied framed and contextualized by this sculpture of another artistic time and tradition.
The difference between Ernst kapers Vej 1, 2450 Cph SV and Højbro Plads is 3.15 metres.
My own contribution to the billboard was displayed in July and August, and was a 1:1 photo of the statue of the equestrian statue of Absalon that used to be the neighbouring sculpture of the fishmonger. This picture was to scale in size as well as in “height above sealevel”. Sydhavn Station is 3.15 meters higher above sealevel that Højbro Plads where Absalon is, and where the fishmonger used to stand. This means that the picture of Absalon did not fit the size of the poster, and that it was cut, so that the image of the statue would be cut at the height above sealevel of the more elevated Sydhavn Station. The picture on the billboard was then, in effect a small part of the very tall statue, and Absalon on his high horse was also suddenly more in level with the fishmonger.
Type of work
Relocation and recontextualization of sculpture.
Published in
Sydhavn Station, Copenhagen
Link to web site
www.sydhavnstation.info
www.realpolitik.dk
www.sonjalillebaek.dk
http://thorgejsteenhansen.com
Date
2015Creator
Hvejsel, Ulla
Lillebaek, Sonja
Steen Hansen, Thorgej
Sydhavn Station exhibition Space
Keywords
Site-specific
Sculpture
Public space
Billboard
Public art
Publication type
artistic work
Language
other