Exploration of the Dynamics between Landscapes and Vivid Stories
Congratulations to Kolding School of Arts and Crafts on its 50th anniversary, and thank you very much for two important and formative periods in my life.
My education as a textile designer from 1980 to 1984 and the following year, where I had free access to the workshops as well as the know-how of the School of Arts and Crafts Kolding, has given me a grounding in craftsmanship and also an artistic education which have been crucial for my work as a visual artist.
I have been fascinated by the line as a form and as a phenomenon; the line, the thread, the thread as it relates to finiteness and infinity; space and material. Depending on weather, wind and location the light line and its materiality can be experienced as a ‘woollen thread’, or a ‘drypoint line’ pointing to the fact that as a human being it is possible to be here and simultaneously transmit one’s thoughts and presence out into the world. The simplicity of the line can be a carrier of complex questions, and that interests me.
The Peace Sculpture 1995 (LINIEN – LYSET) became the foundation of the way I work. Developing an exact, but at the same time open and ambiguous concept and inviting and involving other artists, citizens, production schools, refugees, students etc. has been a powerful inspiration as an artist and later as Head of Department for Industrial Design and Interactive Media at Design School Kolding from 2001 to 2008.
Subsequently, I have explored the dynamics between landscapes and vivid narratives or stories, where light and sound generate a layered tension and an abstract framework for the physical landscape – always with the intention of establishing a feeling of community which transcends the social dimension.
My latest work is ’Velkommen’ (Welcome), a public artwork commissioned by the Danish Arts Foundation for the visitor centre of Vestre Fængsel, Denmark’s largest prison, designed by architects Erik Møllers Tegnestue. ‘Velkommen’ is a gesture, a wish to give family and visitors a kind and welcoming reception. The philosophy and the architecture of the building was the starting point of my work. In terms of method I have involved the inmates to provide a sounding board for the work that relates to the place and to the visitors. In other words: an appeal to find a balanced expression of the importance of the visit and the inmates’ gratitude for receiving visitors.
I believe I have lifted only a corner of the possibilities inherent in the artist’s ability to combine aesthetics with ethics, which are appreciated and at the same time creates some kind of dignity, in this case for the inmates. In my practice I am pursuing a type of contemporary art that challenges but also keeps a focus on kindness and care for the most vulnerable citizens in our society.
With great joy I look back on many conversations I had as Head of Department at Design School Kolding about creating new and different design solutions and methods for a changing world. But also about establishing professional skills, in terms of concepts as well as craftsmanship and a social and a societal attitude - and not least the courage to think and create differently.
