(Copenhagen, Denmark)
Unexpected things happen when you travel. Right beside the street food market on Papirøen, there was a art gallery called “Copenhagen Contemporary”. I walked by it on several occasions on my way to the market for dinner, not noticing what it was all about because it was dark outside and I was focused on my destination. However, I looked a little more closely on the day I went to the market for lunch.
Much to my surprise, there was an art installation from Yoko Ono in front of the gallery. Upon taking a closer look, I realized that this was a participatory art installation: Yoko was looking for input!
The installation, called Wish Tree Garden, consists of indigenous trees with small pieces of paper attached to them. This is where the participation happens: people are invited to write a wish on a small piece of paper and tie it to one of the trees.
Quoting from the gallery’s website: “All the wishes are regularly collected and when the exhibition ends they will be sent to Yoko Ono. Eventually, wishes from all over the world will be gathered together in Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower on the island of Viðey in Kollafjörður Bay, Iceland: an art installation that consists of a tall column of light dedicated to Ono’s late husband, John Lennon. The wishes from CC will join millions of others that have already been collected since 1996 from other places in the world…”
I duly wrote a wish and tied it to one of the trees. I have collaborated with many people but this was the first time that I have worked with Yoko Ono. It certainly was a project I had not anticipated when I walked to Papirøen on a grey November afternoon. If you’re interested in participating, this installation is going to be in Copenhagen until the end of 2017.
Another surprise in Copenhagen was coming across a spa called “Fish Kiss”. At first, I was sure that this was a mistake. English has some idiomatic peculiarities and I assumed that this was just an odd translation of something that made sense in Danish. Alas, the name was totally accurate…at this spa, you can immerse your feet in water and fish will nibble at and remove your dead skin. Apparently, this is all very hygienically done and is soothing after you get over the initial tickling sensation.
Near the Fish Kiss Spa was one of many Christmas markets I found in Copenhagen. In the background, you can see the Christiansborg building that houses (among other things) the Danish parliament. You can also visit the observation deck at the top of the tower – there is no admission charge, although you do have to go through an airport-style security check.
I did go to the top of Christiansborg and took a few pictures. The day was gray and overcast, like many days in November, so I don’t think any of those photographs will win any prizes! You can see one at the top of this post.
Stay tuned for some more on Copenhagen…and my eventual journey to Sweden!