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Thursday, July 5 2007
The Danes here are very prompt. When they say 7:45am, they mean it. They also never ever j-walk. I'm so used to standing 2-3 feet off the curb on the street ready to cross whenever I can. There are big fines for j-walking here, so people dont do it. I woke up way too early but could not go back to bed. I didn't figure out my bus route to school until 10 minutes before I planned on leaving my room. I got all flustered and worrisome about getting there on time but thankfully I can figure out maps easily. I took the 6A to the 3A and made it to school 25 minutes early. I was feeling pretty lucky. =)
Right at 7:45, all us furniture children loaded onto the bus which headed straight for Fritz Hansen, a furniture manufacturing company. Once we were there they divided us into 2 groups, one to see the factory and one to scope out a local church. I was part of the first group and got to see the innards of the factory! It was really exciting and interesting. I felt like I was on a
Mr. Rogers episode except that my host was a more petite looking Alice (maid from Brady Bunch). We got to see how they sort the veneer so that a sheet of it isn't mix-matched, how they glue and even put a layer of cotton between the 9 layers of the veneer, how they cut it with a pattern (reminds me of sewing actually!), how they heat/bend/stamp it, sand it, prime it, paint it, package it, and LOVE IT. It was really cool. Too bad it wasn't the most imediately helpful thing for me because I'm not doing veneer. Nevertheless, it was a great learning experience.
After that, they- oh, I forgot to introduce my 3 teachers. I think, I'm not sure yet, that even though the furniture program is such a big group, they are going to teach us altogether, rather than split us up into 4 smaller classes. I think most of us are used to small classes. So far I can't tell if it's as horrible (large classes) as they say. My 3 teachers are Flemming, Bjorli (with a crossed out o), and Nils-Ole -they, Flemming, took us to a nearby church, Gruntvigskirken. The designer was inspired
by clouds and made the church all white (whitish) and the ceiling of the church billowy. Very interesting. We spent an hour roaming around feeling floaty and peaceful and nosy. After about 20 minutes most of us ended up back at the pews and just started sketching. After about another 20 minutes a church musician played the organ for us. The music sounded very Danish and dainty. I loved it. It was what I'd imagine I'd hear from a calliope. When he finished the first song I wasn't sure if he started it over or began a new song but let me tell you, the first song was enough. He didnt seem to stop! He went on until about 5 minutes before we left.
We had lunch at the factory. Once again, sandwiches with odd-looking meat and interesting sauces. I've chosen to eat what the school gives me, ignorantly. I say, if it's from the school then it must be good. Otherwise, in the city on my own, I've been unfortunately unadventurous.
After lunch, they took us to another church, Bagsvaerd Kirke. I can't believe this but a kid actually said "Notre Dame has nothing on this church,"
as soon as we walked in. I was abashed. I made a round and sat down and sketched the chairs. It's actually called the church chair, designed by Kaare Klint. The organ pipes in this church were 4 times the size of the cloudy church. Not too much to say about this one...The designer was buried in the walls of the entrance. Not behind, in.
I fell asleep on the bus as we headed to the Museum of Art and Design (or Kundindustrimuseet). My oblivious seat partner neglected to tell me that I needed my student I.D. to get into the museum. I left my backpack on the bus because our teachers told us to. So once everyone had filed into the museum I had to run around the corner after the bus to where it was parking. It went around like 5 corners and my heart got its excercise. Inside the museum, more chairs. I know this sounds like a ridiculous obsession or cult for chairs, but I can't seem to get sick of them. I never thought I would, but I'm surprised that I have not yet. It's inspiring rather than intimidating. Like when I had to
redesign the wrench all I could think was "This tool is so primitive. It is what it is there's nothing else to do to it!" But now that I've seen probably 200 chairs within the short amount of time I've been here, it's obvious the possibilities are endless and that compels me to go forward FEARLESSLY.
After the museum, I met up with my friend Ryan (My one and only Pratt buddy here. I've known him since freshman year and I have the ability to keep him in check.) We hung out at a basement place called Retro for a bit and had a couple of drinks with some faculty we saw there. They taught us a Danish cheer which was soo great but of course I can't remember it for the life of me. I just know that the last part of the cheer you say Skål (raise your glass), Skål (lower your glass). They informed me and Ryan of a decently priced Italian eatery nearby. I had Spaghetti Carbonara. It was pretty good but a humongous serving. Big pieces of bacon in it.
We told some DIS (Denmark International Studies- that's the name of the program
I'm in) kids that we'd come back to Retro to hang out with them after we ate. I met about 6 or 7 kids from RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). They are all fun and nice (they have naught against Les Tigres or even my Brooklyn pals). Later on even more people came. I re-met a person I very slightly knew at the RISD 2003 summer session.
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anonymous
non-member comment
that telephone!!!! make me one!