Behind the scenes at Den Blå Planet

Mar 3 Written by

This past weekend, I attended an event with Yelp Copenhagen - in case you don’t know it, Yelp is a platform where you can share reviews for everything in your city, from restaurants and bars to your dentist and dry cleaner. I often use reviews to make decisions or get inspiration, so recently, I’ve become more active in also posting my own. And it’s also a nice community that offers events like this one, which was a brunch followed by a guided tour through Denmark’s National Aquarium, Den Blå Planet. The building itself is really beautiful - it’s inspired by the swirls of water, and surrounded by a circular pool. But it was raining and very windy when we walked over, so in my haste to get inside, I didn’t stop to take a picture. You can read more about the architecture here.

The aquarium has a long history, but this particular building is just about 2 years old, and it has taken me way too long to finally get there - which probably also has to do with its location all the way out on Amager, close to the airport. But definitely worth a visit!

Our guided tour led us through the aquarium and “behind the scenes”, into the belly of the beast, where we climbed up and down ladders, wandered through the engine room, peeked into the feed kitchen, and stood on our tippy-toes to get the best view into the different pools.

A clear favorite was the funky octopus, which apparently likes to climb out of his basin (which has since been outfitted with astro-turf to prevent further eight-legged wanderings) and holds a grudge against one of the keepers.

We also saw a bunch of funky frogs, hammerhead sharks, stingrays, all sorts of colorful fishes - they even have two alligators and a rain forest, where a couple of anacondas live!

 

Side note: Have I mentioned how much in love I am with my new prime lens? It’s the Nikkor 35mm f1:1.8G, a wide aperture lens which just takes the most awesome pictures, even in very difficult lighting conditions, like in the aquarium.

Back on topic - the guided tour was a lot of fun, and I’d definitely recommend it as a new and interesting way to learn more about the aquarium. Our guide was super nice, knowledgeable and fun, and it was noticeable that she really loves her job and working with the animals.

One thing I will say - the aquarium is not cheap. Normal entrance is 150 DKK, and a tour is some extra on top. But of course an aquarium that size is also quite expensive to maintain (their water and electricity bills must be off the charts!). I probably wouldn’t go here every weekend, but I will definitely be back!

Have you been to the aquarium? What did you think?

Richard Mosse “The Enclave” at Louisiana museum

Feb 24 Written by

Two weeks ago, my mom came to visit, just for 2 days, in the middle of the week. So naturally, I jumped at the opportunity, took a day off, and took mom up to Humlebæk for a trip to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. I’ve written about Louisiana before, and it’s one of my favorite places for a little day trip out of the city. It’s just about 45min out of the city, either by regional train, or by car. I strongly suggest to take the route up Strandvejen - mom and I did that on the way back and were completely fascinated by all the amazing villas and mansions. We also discovered that, if you want to be part of the gang on Strandvejen, your house had better have some sort of tower!

Next to its permanent collection, Louisiana currently hosts an absolutely amazing photography exhibit by Irish conceptual documentary artist Richard Mosse. The exhibit is called “The Enclave” and is unlike any photo exhibition I’ve ever seen so far. The photographer wanted to document the civil war in the Congo, and his entire exhibit centers around the question

How do you communicate a war that has no center, a war where violence has become a permanent state stoked by fear and rumor, tribal conflict, superstition and corruption, a war that cannot be reduced to a clear-cut story?”

There are no images of bombed cities, as the people live in small, rural villages that, once destroyed, don’t leave much behind for the world to see. And in a world where war is on the daily news, we’ve become so accustomed to the images of violence that we’re nearly numb to them.

 

Richard Mosse’s approach is completely new, even though it uses old, even outdated material: a special military film called Kodak Aerochrome that reflects on the infrared particles in plants - originally used to detect soldiers in camouflage, as their clothing would not reflect in the same way. This film makes trees, plants and grass in a come out in bright pink tones, which creates stunning landscapes. You can read an interview with Mosse about the use of the film here.

But walking through the exhibit, you inadvertently get a very uneasy feeling at the stark contrast between the beautiful landscapes and the horrors that are only partially shown or entirely omitted, looming in the back of your head. Louisiana calls the exhibit “horrifying, highly moving, and disturbingly beautiful”, and I would agree.

 

It is a fascinating, thought-provoking installation, and I strongly recommend you to go visit. The exhibit, which consists of both photography and a very intense video installation, will be shown until May 25th. Entrance to Louisiana is DKK 110.

 

If you’d like to donate towards the relief of war victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo, take a look at these campaigns and organizations:

  • Women for Women runs an educational program for women in the DR Congo, with the goal to enable them to lead better lives
  • Raise Hope for Congo aims to build a network of activists that will advocate for the human rights of all Congolese citizens and work towards ending the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo - you can donate or engage on social media and in other campaigns to promote awareness
  • Save the Children has a special program that focuses on child survival, protection, and education in the DR Congo

Love in Copenhagen: Love locks at Bryggebroen

Feb 14 Written by

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovebirds out there! I hope you get to spend the day with someone you love - be that your significant other, your sister, your parents, or your dog. Personally, I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day, although I usually like to take the opportunity to go out for dinner, seeing as many restaurants have special menus. But otherwise I’m not really for all those overly romantic gestures. One thing I’ve always found cute though are love locks - basically, the couple writes their names or initials on a small padlock and ties it to a bridge. Then they throw the key in the water, sealing their love forever. Of course, should things ever go south, one of them will have to suit up in a diver’s suit and go for an extensive dive to retrieve that key!

In Copenhagen, there’s a bridge over the harbor, connecting the center and Islands Brygge. It starts behind the Fisketorvet mall and is for bikes and pedestrians exclusively. And it’s been slowly filling up with love locks! I went for a little walk there today and took pictures of my favorites.

 

How about you? What are you doing on Valentine’s Day? And have you ever put up a love lock anywhere - maybe even here in Copenhagen?