Apropos en eng / Concerning a meadow was a durational and relational art project, performed by visual artist Kerstin Bergendal from 2019-2024. The project aimed both to supplement and challenge the planning procedure for a large reorganization of the urban area Bispebjerg in Copenhagen North West, DK.
Appropriated for a large climate protection plan, the two open neighboring greens Bispeparken and Grønningen were to be reprogrammed into a new public park by the Danish Landscape Architechts from SLA and the engineers from NIRAS. ( see www. sla.dk / www. niras.dk) Prior to this re-programming, the Danish National Arts Foundation and the Area Renewal Project North West of the City of Copenhagen had already commissioned Kerstin Bergendal to realise a public art project for the specific area. She chose to take the upcoming urban development as her point of departure. Concerning a Meadow unfolded in a gap between spatial planning, public consultation and the expanded mandate of visual art. Kerstin Bergendal first approached and visited the homes of residents in the area inquiring about and video-documenting the different points of view on the area and on the future reorganization. From these visits, she published sixteen 8-10 minute portrait-videos on this homepage. ( See Voices)
During 2020-2021 the circle of participants was expanded. In collaboration with graphic designer and visual artist Åse Eg Jørgensen, Kerstin Bergendal formatted a series of differently informal, but yet video-filmed and publicly disseminated conversations. Despite strict restrictions due to COVID, these informal exchanges gradually produced shared imagery of a possible future park. In particular it came to define what are the qualities and urgent matters within the everyday life in the urban area, this park could respond to. ( See Interface)
Finally, in 2022, the artist was invited to expand her project further and to make additions to the then-completed landscape design of the future park. In dialogue with the landscape architects from SLA, she then elaborated a series of permanent additions to the landscape design. This was simple yet ambiguous wooden structures or “weak architecture”. Each visitor will need to consider how to appropriate these structures, thus continuously redefining what they are and can be. This prolonged redefinition ties back to the shared extended re-imagination of the park. ( See Traces)
The new Grønningen was completed in 2024, and has since received high praise and several awards and nominations.
This homepage is a public presentation of Apropos en eng / Concerning a Meadow. Above, a short video ( 1,37″ minutes) visualizing the strategy of the art-project. Each of the five tabs above open for a more detailed description of the different stages of the process.
View of the Green from the South, in 2019.
View of the Green from the South, in 2024.
Apropos en eng /Concerning a Meadow was realised in close collaboration with graphic designer and visual artist Åse Eg Jørgensen and in dialogue with Sara Katrine Nissen OMF Nordvest and Ann Lilja from Technical and Environnemental Dep of Copenhagen City. The project received a generous support from:
