Whilst mulling over how to tackle this assignment, it occurred to me that my planned trip to Copenhagen could open up some exciting opportunities. In preparation I did a little research into acclaimed Danish photographers and found myself particularly drawn to images by Keld Helmer-Petersen and, in particular, his book 122 Colour Photographs. This photobook, published in 1948, is very much a study of colour as form. It is, however, his fascination with structure, pattern and abstraction plus the intriguing pairing of images that appealed to me. Helmer-Petersen has been described as “the father of Danish modernist photography” and yet there is a simplicity in what he is doing here – singling out and juxtaposing ordinary objects or views and thereby bestowing on them greater gravitas and meaning. To quote the photographer himself, “The pictures aim at illustrating nothing whatever beyond the fact that we are surrounded by many beautiful and exciting things, and that there can be a great deal of pleasure in spotting them and capturing their beauty by means of colour photography”.
Keld Helmer-Petersen, from 122 Colour Photographs: Observations, Schoenberg, 1948
Keld Helmer-Petersen, from 122 Colour Photographs: Observations, Schoenberg, 1948
Interestingly, later on in his career Helmer- Petersen became a successful architectural photographer.
I was particularly drawn to the idea of juxtaposing 2 or 3 images for this assignment. Attempting to capture the essence of a building and how it is used is hard enough in a series of photographs but I was keen to explore how I might do this with just a couple of images – and how the images would relate to each other. As a first-time visitor to Copenhagen I actively chose not to do any research on the buildings I was photographing so, whilst the purpose of these buildings was instantly evident, their architectural or cultural history was completely unknown to me at the time. Having experienced the buildings and followed my visit up with a little research, it would be interesting to see if a return visit would produce an entirely different set of images. Not that I’m planning to return any time soon – sadly! The four buildings I photographed represent one relatively contemporary building, one extension to an old existing building, one adaptation within an old building and one unmodified historic building.
ANALYSIS & REFLECTION
My assignment attempts to capture four significant buildings in Copenhagen through the juxtaposition of 2 or 3 images. My aim originally was for one image to be clearly representative of the building in question with a second/third image portraying a more abstract or surprising view. Together the images should say something about the intention of the building and its function.
The Danish Jewish Museum
Located in the one of oldest parts of Copenhagen,the Danish Jewish Museum has been created within a former 17th century boathouse and library built by King Christian IV. The story in Denmark is unusual in that the Danish people made valiant efforts to save the majority of Danish Jews from the Nazis by smuggling them across to Sweden. This historical act of kindness or ‘mitzvah’ is the principle behind the museum’s design and is symbolized in its form, structure and light. Designed by Studio Libeskind and completed in 2003, the architecture was recognized with an American Architect Award in 2005. The impact of the building is immediately disorientating and surprising. On entering the museum, there is a strong and immediate dialogue between the old vaulted brick space and the new pale birch structures within. Neither are felt to be dominant but are accepting of each other. There are no straight lines and everything seems to be slanting and rocking- as if on a boat (perhaps representing the sea crossing). Intersections and angles are prevalent.
Taking form, structure and light as the guiding principles, I have tried here to capture the essence of this exciting and adventurous space. By taking a low angled shot along the line of the floorboards I have tried to emphasize a sense of unbalance and disequilibrium. I like that I have managed to catch a visitor out of focus and mid movement – an almost ghostly presence.The image conveys well the interplay of angles and planes. Its companion image to the right focuses closely in on the dynamic dialogue between the architecture of past and present, the old and the new – one cutting through the other resulting in oblique edges and mysterious corners.
The purpose of a museum is to tell some kind of story through the use of objects and interpretation. It is both a place for objects and a place for people – since people convey meaning onto objects.Very often it is a place that helps to explain the past and interprets that past in the context of the present. These 2 photographs do little to explain this fundamental function and yet, as a building for visitors, the Danish Jewish Museum encourages its very architecture to speak and reflect aspects of its story.
The Round Tower
The Trinitatis complex (ie tower, church & library) was built as a place for scholars to study the heavens and pray to the heavens. The Round Tower has the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. It was completed in 1642 and remained in use as an observatory until 1861. The most extraordinary thing about the Round Tower, however, is the fact that it has been built with a 210 metre long spiral ramp running from the ground level to the observatory and planetarium on the top. It is a wholly unique architectural feature in Europe. Apparently, it was the King’s wish to be driven by horse carriage to the top. More recently a number of cars have driven up and every year unicycles race to the top (the world record time is 1 minute 48.7 seconds!). The walkway is in fact extremely beautiful with its soft curved walls, graceful arches and spiraling brick formations.
As with many buildings, its purpose has changed over time. The Round Tower is these days a tourist attraction providing a wonderful view across the city for its many visitors. The experience of walking up the ramp, however, will not actually have changed significantly over the centuries – with its cool curves, light and shadows. The patterns created by the brick floor are mesmeric and lead the way up and round. The ancient bricks show signs of wear from the thousands of feet that have trodden the way up. My 2 chosen images attempt to reflect the particular ambience of the space and the way the light creates variation and depth. I like how the planes of light and shade intersect so crisply.
The Black Diamond
This impressive building was built as an addition to the Royal Library’s older building. The name comes from its simple neo-modernist form and black facade which has been created from polished African granite. This hulk of a structure sits overlooking the harbour, slightly leaning to the left with a dynamic slice of glass through its middle. Occasional windows appear like winking eyes. The Black Diamond is a library – but, in the style of 21st century libraries, it incorporates restaurant, bookshop, concert hall, exhibition space and study areas. It is designed to engage.
A library is first and foremost a building of and for the people and this building certainly conveys a sense of community and connectivity. And this building is very much about connections – the old to the new, the inside to the outside, the bottom to the top.The atrium is bathed with natural light from a wide glass section that affords spectacular views over the water and opens out inside to reveal the 7 separate floors.Moving ramps lead people on the journey upwards to the main connecting bridge where the modern meets the ancient. The atrium creates a perfect hub. It provides both a social function and a practical function and allows the visitor to feel embraced by the magnificence of the rising interior and the wide skies outside.
This set of 3 images attempts to bring together some key aspects of the building as it spoke to me – its modern construction, its relationship to the space around it, its sense of openness and honesty, its powerful statement within the city. On reflection, the function of a building is not simply about how it is used but just as much about how it is perceived and experienced by people who visit and use it. People will interpret places and spaces according to their own personal contexts.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Louisiana is a purpose built art gallery that has been thoughtfully designed to sit comfortably and intimately within its landscape overlooking the sea whilst giving a nod to the villa it replaced. Considered a major work of Danish modernist architecture, the building was designed by architects who have carried out 7 extensions and alterations since its opening as a gallery in 1958. It is a beautiful horizontal structure that manages to be both understated yet dynamic. It integrates art, architecture and landscape to create a gentle, graceful and balanced whole. Louisiana is an extremely popular visitor destination and houses an extensive permanent collection of modern and contemporary art.
As a building to photograph in terms of its use, however, it presented challenges. Beautiful though the architecture looks from the outside and quirky though some of its circular staircases and narrow corridors are, none of this would have expressed its actual function. Ultimately, as a gallery, its main purpose is to provide space for works of art and in so doing the building itself should become subordinate.
The image on the left is a straightforward shot through a gallery. Given that it is a black and white photograph, the op art exhibition provides some interesting contrasts and I like the shapes created by the partition walls and paintings. It is of course empty of people (although the gallery was actually extremely busy at the time). I have therefore chosen to juxtapose this with a more ambiguous image that does include people – but not in an obvious way. An unusual viewpoint captures a moment in the life of a gallery and plays around with ideas of contrast and illusion as a reflection of the art itself. It’s fun and represents for me the experience of visiting an op art exhibition within the context of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
My final image below says absolutely nothing about the function of the building but a lot about what was really entertaining me and my camera!
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