Denmark

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Photography

Spring Emerges in an Enchanting Timelapse of Denmark’s Landscapes

Roskilde, Denmark-based photographer Casper Rolsted ventures into the deciduous forests of Skjoldungernes Land National Park, out to the mist-covered inlets of Ise Fjord, and across the ice-age regions of West Zealand to capture springtime transformations in Scandinavia. Daffodils and lilies slough off the remaining snow as they burst open, the sunlight illuminates the environment for longer periods, and expanses of brown grass and leaf cover morph into verdant terrain.

A timelapse shot both on the ground and aerially, “Seasons of Denmark—Spring” is the first of four short films chronicling the country’s seasonal landscapes. Keep an eye out for the remaining three on Rolsted’s Vimeo, where you can also find more of his montaged adventures around Norway, Scotland, and other remote areas.

Art Design

An Olafur Eliasson-Designed Building Only Accessible by Footbridge in a Danish Fjord

Fjordenhus is a recently completed structure built on the Vejle Fjord in Denmark only accessible by footbridge. It is the first structure fully designed by the studio of Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson (previously), and was inspired by the harbor’s architecture. The 970,000-brick building is built several yards into the water from the shore, with the surrounding body of water acting as its moat.

The complexly curved form contains four intersecting cylinders which are carved to present a pattern of concave and convex walls, and is dotted with several arched windows and openings to the sea. “The outer walls, which are normally seen as a membrane between inside and outside, are spaces in Fjordenhus,” explains the studio. “You are offered the opportunity to be both inside and outside.”

The structure will hold the offices for investment company KIRK KAPITAL, yet will contain a ground floor open to the public with site-specific art installations designed by Eliasson. Fjordenhus took nearly a decade of planning to implement and build, and is considered both an architectural structure and a work of art. You can learn about more projects designed by Eliasson’s studio on their website. (via Dezeen)

Design Photography

Breathtaking Interior Images of Copenhagen’s Rare Expressionist Church

Copenhagen’s Grundtvig’s Church is a rare example of expressionist church architecture, and one of the most well-known churches in the Danish city. French photographer Ludwig Favre was attracted to the perpendicular lines that compose the early 20th-century structure, in addition to the nearly six million yellow bricks that fill its interior. Favre decided to shoot the building’s 1800-seat congregation, capturing the minimal ornamentation found in the famous church’s massive vaulted halls and nave.

Favre is a photographer that specializes in major city landscapes, and has a history of shooting interiors, including his work at the La Sorbonne, and other cultural destinations around Paris. You can see more of his images on Instagram and Behance. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

History

Archaeologists Unearth Trove of 2,000 Mysterious Gold Spirals in Denmark

Bronze Age gold spirals found in Boeslund, 900-700 BC. Credit: Morten Petersen / Zealand Museum.

A team of archaeologists working in Boeslunde, Denmark recently stumbled onto an intriguing mystery: nearly 2,000 tightly-wound golden spirals dating back to the Bronze Age. The discovery of gold in Boeslunde isn’t uncommon, as numerous gold objects have been unearthed in the region over the last few years. But the purpose of these coils has stumped archaeologists who refer to the find as the “golden enigma.”

The spirals are made from extremely pure gold that was hammered flat to just 0.1 millimeter thick. Some pieces measure up to 1.18 inches long and all together weigh between 200 to 300 grams (7-10 ounces). Their exact purpose is anyone’s guess, but Flemming Kaul, a curator with the National Museum of Denmark, believes the coils are most likely related to prehistoric Bronze Age people who were known to offer gold to higher powers as part of sun rituals.

“The sun was one of the most sacred symbols in the Bronze Age and gold had a special magic,” Kaul writes. “Maybe the priest-king wore a gold ring on his wrist, and gold spirals on his cloak and his hat, where they during ritual sun ceremonies shone like the sun.” It’s also suggested the gold was simply buried as part of an elaborate sacrifice.

Whatever the use or meaning behind the pieces, it’s an extraordinary and priceless find. The local museum in
Skaelskor already held a temporary viewing before the spirals find a permanent home. You can read more over on the History Blog. (via Neatorama, Gizmodo)

Update: Adam Swickle writes: “The shavings are from shaving gold coins down. Merchants did this when they paid in quantity instead of weight, and that is why coins have ridges now, to show they haven’t been shaven down.”

Gold spirals surrounded by flakes of birch pitch. Credit: Flemming Kaul / National Museum of Denmark.

Gold spiral in situ. Credit: Flemming Kaul / National Museum of Denmark.

Credit: Morten Petersen / Museum Vestsjælland.

Art

Highlights from Sculpture by the Sea 2013 in Aarhus, Denmark

Alejandro Propato / Permanent Sunrise

Last week marked the opening of Sculpture by the Sea in Aarhus, Denmark including sculptural artworks from 64 artists hailing from 22 countries around the world. Above are some of my favorite works currently on view, including the jaw-dropping sculpture Once by James Dive of the Glue Society (previously) who managed to compress an entire mobile amusement park into a 4×4 meter cube, rides, games, prizes and all. Worst. Carnival. Ever. Also of note is Alejandro Propato’s Permanent Sunrise, a colorful thread installation that visually aligns with the actual location of the sunrise over Aarhus Bay. Sculpture by the Sea will be on view through the end of the month.

Alejandro Propato / Permanent Sunrise

Vibeke Noergaard Roensbo / Remind

Phil Price / Snake

Yeo Chee Kiong / A yoga and pedicure diy session on the beach

Brandon Vickerd / Sputnik Returned

The Glue Society / Once (An entire amusement park crushed into a 4 x 4 metre cube.)

The Glue Society / Once, detail

The Glue Society / Once, detail