8 HOUSE + LLC WEEKEND

Have I really been here this long? It feels like I just got here, and at the same time, as though I’ve been living here for much longer.

This week flew by really fast– my first architecture project was due Wednesday evening, so that’s essentially all I did from Monday to Wednesday.

I did have a couple breaks on Wednesday, though. The first was a field study with my Art, Surveillance, and Culture class to Ørestad to visit the 8 House, an apartment complex notable for its expansive glass window facades. This field trip was the basis for a short paper we had to write by the end of the week. Here’s an except describing my visit:

“When visiting the 8 House, we moved as a group, slowly and contemplatively. As I looked and listened, I tried to absorb as much as possible. I realized I was observing my surroundings with a critical gaze I usually reserve for a museum, rather than for someone’s own home…

…Near the end of the visit, the sunlight finally penetrated through the clouds, activating the reflective quality of the glass facades. Instead of seeing inside, I caught sight of my own reflection looking in. This made me pause. Here, a physical reflection became a psychological one: why am I trying to look into the private homes of others? What does this say about me, asan individual? About our class? About society as a whole? Perhaps it was context of being on a field trip, or maybe the signage outlining specific visiting hours, but without even thinking about it, I felt entitled to these views into people’s private spaces. Even more interesting is that despite this excessive access, I was still very curious about what was not visible to me. With so much access granted to me, the contrast between visible and invisible was moreprominent, and private areas that wereinaccessible stood out in comparison. I wondered what this visit would have been like if more people had been present. Would I have felt more uncomfortable? Would I have tried to better conceal my curiosity, rather than gaping openly? Would I have looked at all?

This was a great assignment. I rarely get the opportunity to write a paper on a work of art that I had experienced first-hand. The focus was more on personal reflection, rather than critical insight, but from the experience, important insights developed naturally. The assignment was designed to be conscious of the process as well as the resulting product, and I really enjoyed both the field trip and writing the paper afterwards.

I made myself take a break from all academics in the afternoon to meet Mads for coffee. There’s never any pressure from him– we’re both pretty busy, but we’re also both very respective of each other’s schedules. But I enjoy making time to see him, and it truly makes me slow down and relax for a little while.

FRIDAY //

Friday I presented my architecture project. It didn’t go as well as I had hoped, or knew it could go, but I got incredibly nervous. I thought I would be presenting to 6 people. but critiques were open, so instead I ended up presenting to about 16. Midway through my presentation, I froze. It ended up okay, and I had a pretty balanced critique and earned a decent grade, but I hope next time goes better.

SATURDAY + SUNDAY // LLC WEEKEND

On Saturday, our coordinator took all 20 of us to The Cisterns, an old underground water reservoir converted into an art exhibition space. The exhibition we saw was a series of projections displayed on the underground walls, some with sound, some without. The acoustics were incredible– some of our group got in trouble for signing a bit too loudly, but all was fine. Afterwards, we played in the grassy field and brainstormed ideas for our collaborative semester project, in which we are competing against all the other LLC groups.

Later that night, we went to The Mix, an “underground” queer club in Warehouse 9 of the meatpacking district. There we watched Dragged, a documentary detailing the successes and struggles of New York City drag queens over the past 25 years. After that, we thought we would be seeing a live drag performance akin to those shown in the documentary, but it turned out as more of a drag-inspired performance art pierce. It was pretty violent, but it was an important critique on gender, especially through performative actions as displayed through drag.

We had planned to go out afterwards, but most of my friends were too tired and decided to go home. Since I was close, I joined Mads at the Warpigs, and actually got to meet some of his friends. He wasn’t working, so it was fun to see him loosen up, and it was great to meet more Danes.

SUNDAY //

Sunday was rainy, but not cold. Sophie set up a scavenger hunt for us to explore Norrebro, a neighborhood north of the inner city that is the most densely populated, and as a result, more diverse. I got to work with Jordan and Joe, who both lived on different floors, so it was nice to get closer to new people! The point of the scavenger hunt was to find green spaces that were created throughout the inner city. We saw goats, chickens, swings, slides, a giant banana, and a ton of graffiti. After 3 hours, we headed back to share what we found.

Exhausted from the week, I headed to bed early to get a good start on the next.

EXPLORING CPH + EXTENDING MY STAY

The inspiration that struck during core course week carried through to progress in my architecture project. I’m really excited about some of my ideas, and looking forward to pinning down the final details this week.

Another exciting development– after some coaxing, I received my parents’ blessing to study here in Copenhagen for the full year. I am so so thankful and happy and excited. I’ve also received the full support of my advisor at Middlebury. He believes staying abroad is in “my best academic interest” as an architecture major. On a more personal level, I think staying abroad is also most beneficial for my happiness and mental health. Even heading into week six, with an architecture project due mid-week, my workload feels manageable and my stress levels lower than they usually are at Midd. My life here feels more balanced.

TUESDAY //

Tuesday we had another LLC event, in coordination with the Culinary LLC. The idea was that we were supposed to combine food and art to create a interesting dining experience. We were split into groups and each given a recipe. The culinaries in my group immediately started the cooking process, less focused on the art component of the presentation. Knowing that I had written my LLC housing essay about him, our coordinator had given us Olafur Eliasson as our artistic inspiration. He is a Danish-Icelandic artist known for his sculpture and installation art that utilizes and is inspired by nature. His “Weather Project” is essentially a giant yellow orb that casts an orange glow across the entire room that houses it, in order to represent the sun. This project, along with “Your Rainbow Panorama” that many of us saw at the ARoS museum, served as inspiration for our pumpkin soup. I had started out without a real plan, just playing with the vegetable peels and ingredients in front on my on the countertop since I wasn't sure what to do cooking wise. Eventually, I made enough progress that people thought it was kind of cool, and they asked me to make a centerpiece. Anyway, the food trash rainbow was a hit and everyone instagrammed it.

Oh, and the soup was actually delicious as well.

 

WEDNESDAY //

Wednesday was exciting because Helen and I got to cook “family dinner” for the 10 of us that make up the Visual Arts LLC, plus our SRA. Since I only really know how to cook Mexican food, we cooked Mexican food: Tomatillo chicken (minus the tomatillo), lime-cilantro rice, guacamole, roasted corn salsa, and miraculously, corn tortillas!! It was so delicious, and everyone was really grateful, which made me really happy. As soon as I can find pastry dough, I’m going to try making empanadas! And I am still on the hunt for salsa verde.

SATURDAY //

So far, Copenhagen weather has been unusually warm and sunny. To take advantage of that,  I planned a picnic in Ørstedparken on Saturday for the people living in my building, and a few others. It was really nice, and we plan to do it regularly until the weather turns. It’s already beginning to feel like fall– theres a dryness in the air, and more telling, my allergies are acting up. It will be interesting to see if I enjoy Copenhagen in the winter as much as I do now. I’ve heard it’s more mild than Vermont winters, so I’m not worried.

SUNDAY //

On Sunday, Helen and I went to a matcha bar (byoh matcha) in Vesterbro for lunch. The woman working the register was very friendly, and told us that sometimes Danish celebrities stop by if they’re in the area. Too bad we’d never be able to recognize them… But they must have good taste because the food, lattes, and matcha ice cream were all delicious.

In the evening, our SRA (social and residential advisor) organized a painting night so we could decorate the apartment. As we were setting up, she told us about how she’s asking housing if she can get a cat for her apartment, which she shares with 4 other students. All 10 of us under her care support the idea, so hopefully we’ll have a cat soon!! Lately most of my creative energy has been channeled into my architecture project, but getting to paint just for fun was very relaxing. I need to remember to make time to do it more often.

DANISH HIGHSCHOOL + MUSEUMS

MONDAY + TUESDAY // classes

The beginning of this week is when the stress finally started to hit. Most of it was anxiety over class changes,  but I think I made the right decision because I love my design thinking class. My professor is very cool and down to earth, and assigns us a combination of engaging, fast-paced, classtime activities, as well as longer projects that require more complex problem solving. The class feels very concentrated right now, but it only runs until mid-october, so I don’t mind.

I also spoke to the Architecture/Design assistant program director about my core class. She confirmed my belief that the advanced architecture class would be out of my league, assured me that I am far from the only student to raise this concern about Foundations, and encouraged me to talk to my professor about the issue. So I am remaining in Foundations and working with my professor to challenge myself.  The course has started off slow, and it’s been a bit frustrating, but BB (my professor) claims this is very temporary and we will move more quickly next week. 

WEDNESDAY // field studies

No classes are scheduled on Wednesdays so that we have the day free for Field Studies in our elective courses. (For me, that’s Danish, design thinking, and my art history course). Wednesday morning I went with my Danish Language and Culture class to a Danish high school, where we spoke with students about the differences between Danish and American curriculum. I volunteered with a few others to give a short introduction about American schools– I talked about why I chose a liberal arts college over a design institution to highlight the variation between colleges in the U.S. I actually don’t really like speaking in front of a class, but it was easier with strangers, and I’m continually trying to push myself out of my comfort zone here in Denmark.

The students asked a lot of really great questions, and answered many of our own. My impression was that the Danish school system is far less competitive and stressful that the system in the U.S– unsurprising, considering the extensive Danish welfare system that grants free healthcare and education to all citizens. Not only do college students not have to pay tuition, they get paid around $900 a month as long as they begin college within two years of graduating high school. 

I have suddenly become inspired to start exploring graduate school options here.

My second study tour was for my Design Thinking class– we visited a Design Thinking firm called Hatch & Bloom, where they led us through some fun, quick, design practices. They were very cool/friendly/high energy, as well as extremely innovative and talented.

THURSDAY //

On Thursday I went with my art history class to the Danish National Gallery (SMK) to see the video installation called Safe Conduct (2016) by artist Ed Atkins. It was about airports and TSA and pretty edgy and if I write about it here it will probably gross my mother out and then she’ll stop reading my blog. So here’s a link if you aren’t squeamish.

I went to a second art gallery that evening with my LLC.  The most remarkable exhibit at Copenhagen Contemporary was titled “A Lot of Sorrow” by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson in collaboration with the band “The National.” The piece was a video of the band playing their song “Sorrow” for six hours straight at a live show at MoMA PS1. The video was at about hour 4 when we viewed the work, and the band members’ exhaustion was completely apparent. We could only speculate regarding the emotional and psychological toll the performance took on the musicians. Despite the repetition, I felt I could have watched the piece for hours. It was both soothing, for the beauty of the song, and difficult to watch, for the apparent stress the musicians were under.

FRIDAY //

Friday was normal class during the day, and going out at night, which was unremarkable except that Mara and I got to practice our Danish with some Danes! Our pronunciation is very poor, but the Danes could understand us, and were very encouraging. They seem to like the fact that we are attempting to learn and use the language, despite only being here for four months. Learning Danish is fun, though, especially with all of my friends doing it with me.

WELCOME TO COPENHAGEN

I’m writing this from “COFFEE INDUSTRY” a Swedish café approximately two blocks from my apartment. It’s well lit– seemingly rare for the cafés here–and has funky music, but the vibe is very relaxed. The upstairs space is quieter and less crowded. I’m relaying these details because they are important. H and M and I checked out 7 cafés before settling here to do homework. Some were too loud, or too crowded, or too formal, but COFFEE INDUSTRY seems just right, for now. We’ve decided we’d like to avoid visiting the same places twice, but this seems like a great go-to study space during the day.

Helen and Mara are my flatmates. I live in a lovely apartment with them, and 3 others. We are all part of a larger group of 20 that makes up the DIS “Arts Living and Learning Community.” I know its only been a week, but I already feel comfortable in both my apartment and in this larger group. We are similar enough to already be comfortable in each other’s company, but different enough for things to be interesting. (We do all essentially dress the same, though. Lots of black, trying to look Danish rather than American). I’m thankful to be surrounded by other artists/individuals interested in art, and have a community similar to Chromatic back at Midd. 

The apartment itself is really nice– white, modern, minimalist, filled with motel-room prints and Ikea furniture. We plan on putting our own art up on the walls soon. I live in a single room, but  it’s off of a double where Mara and Lily live. I have to pass through their room to enter the hall, but I’m happy to have a private space while still having roommates.

SATURDAY + SUNDAY // arrival + LLC EVENTS

After 18 hours travel time, I was exhausted, but still excited to have arrived in Copenhagen. Our very first experience was lugging our suitcases off the bus and through the unusually crowded street to our apartment. Studiestræde (study street) was the site for the Pride Parade block party, and our windows were shaking from the music. Sunday morning was group brunch with the whole LLC, and that afternoon was an LLC scavenger hunt. Our SRAs gave us a list and 2 hours to interact with the city and the locals. My group/flatmates and I tentatively took the s-train, talked to strangers, borrowed a bike, and forgot to stop for lunch. It was worth it though, because we won! Who knew arts kids could be competitive? Our prize is a bakery gift certificate to La Glace, a super fancy pastry shop.

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY // orientation

Copenhagen is beautiful and I quickly realized we have the ideal living situation– we are in the heart of the city, and have a 2 minute walk to classes. (theres no true “campus,” just DIS buildings scattering a 2 block radius) Danes are very cool and attractive, but largely homogenous in appearance. Us Americans stick out, despite our best efforts. Everyone speaks English, though.

THURSDAY + FRIDAY // classes + some academic distress

In summary, I immediately loved 2 classes, am concerned about 1, and dropped the last. My art history course and Danish class seem great– no surprises, very nice, very blond Danish professors.

I really did not like my Integrated Climate Change Planning class.

• A lot of the classes are going to be bike tours of the city. this is fine except biking in Copenhagen seems scary (esp.  large groups) and I don’t have a bike and I really don’t think I need one. I live in an area with 3 different modes of public transportation, and a 600kr public transportation card for the area. This makes me really want to spend $200 dollars on a bike that I’m scared to ride. (Have I mentioned Copenhagen is expensive? COPENHAGEN IS EXPENSIVE. not the bikes but in general)

• I am the only design major in that class– most students are environmental studies/science majors and after introductions I just had war flashbacks to the remedial environmental architecture course I took last semester. This is also fine except every single assignment in the class is group work, which is problematic when half your classmates live an hour away. I felt very relieved after dropping.

• The class I added instead, in contrast, seems really exciting.  Its called Innovative Design Thinking, and we apply design principles to determine business solutions. I’m really excited to learn about business strategy, as it’s a crucial part of a career in architecture (I have to convince people to let me design and build cool stuff). This will be very different from any class I’ve ever taken, or will get the opportunity to take at my home university. My first class is tomorrow.

Most complicated is that I feel overqualified for my core course. The architecture department is divided into “Foundations Studio” and “Design Studio.” I applied for Design, but got placed in the lower level, Foundations. I didn’t mind, the division separates liberal arts students from students in design institutes/programs. I did not expect, however, that the majority of the students are not even architecture majors, and very few have any architecture experience.

Since I came to Copenhagen specifically for the architecture program, I am surprised to find that I have the most experience of the 10 in my class. While I don’t mind collaborative work with individuals who are less experienced, I want to be in a situation where I am challenged academically by the program and have the most opportunities to learn from my peers as well as from my professors. I am going to try to switch classes, but I am worried I may still be under qualified for the more advanced class. I will be talking to the professors.

On the bright side, if I can’t switch, the project 1 prompt seems super cool.

SATURDAY // 

Helen and I both heard great reviews about GRØD, a gourmet porridge café here in Copenhagen. We decided to go on Saturday morning with Lily and Mara for brunch. Happy to find that the café was part of a much larger food market called Torvehallerne. There’s a mix of cafés, bakeries, wine shops, produce markets, meats and cheeses– basically anything you want, you can find at one of the 50+ stands. After breakfast I bought a small stick of chorizo from a genuine Spanish food stand. Not out of homesickness, just out of wanting something that reminds me of home. It is delicious and I’m trying super hard not to eat it all in one sitting.

In the afternoon we had our first Arts LLC event with our coordinator. She took us to the Chart Art Fair at Kunsthal Charlottenborg. They had exhibits of furniture/decor that blurred the line between art and utility, as well as a very large exhibit of contemporary pieces by various artists. I’m starting to get a better sense of Scandinavian style of design, and look forward to learning more.