On the
occasion of the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen’s birth
in 2005, I have been asked by politicians, industrialists and citizens to make
a suggestion for a sculpture in honour of the great poet of our city. This is
the background of my draft.
I have
always been fascinated by storytelling and fairytales that allow the exuberance
of imagination. This fascination shows in many of my sculptures.
I have made
a model of copper in the scale 1/10 which can be seen in my workshop.
Idea: The creation of a sculpture showing
the entire universe of Hans Christian Andersen and forming an active part of
the urban environment. The basis of the idea is to create:
-
A
sculpture where most of the figures of all the stories are represented.
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A
sculpture made in an idiom that is reasonably accessible (my usual idiom) and
is understandable to children and adults, foreigners and Danes.
-
A
sculpture in which you can make discoveries and also makes the observer wiser
on Hans Christian Andersen.
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A
sculpture that relates to the own kaleidoscopic idiom of Hans Christian
Andersen.
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A
sculpture that acknowledges that the joy of recognition is often the biggest.
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A
sculpture that relates to and lets itself inspire by the historically long
series of traditional portraits of Hans Christian Andersen.
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A
sculpture that has its basis in Hans Christian Andersen as a storyteller and
functions by involving present-day storytellers.
The
sculpture consists of 5 elements each of which has a function and a symbolic
significance in the description of Hans Christian Andersen: The figure of the
poet, the circle, the storyteller chair, the sculpture wings and fountains.
The 5
elements:
1. The
circle: The
fountain consists of a large circle of bronze with a diameter of 10 metres, of
which the outer side is shaped like a big bench. The circle is made of dark
polished bronze that makes a comfortable seat. The basin edge is 1 metre high
and rounded.
2. Hans
Christian Andersen:
On the edge of the circle sits a 3½ metre high sculpture of Hans Christian
Andersen taking a foot-bath in the basin. He is fairly traditionally made,
wearing a frock coat and in his Sunday best, but he is taking a little pause
for thought, and has taken off his shoes to cool his feet in the basin.
3. The
sculpture wings:
Beside the Hans Christian Andersen figure two walls are rising to the height of
5 metres. The surface is covered with hundreds of smaller sculptures all
representing figures from the fairytales. The many sculptures interweave
kaleidoscopically. The sculpture wings will make the Hans Christian Andersen
figure seem as though it is sitting between two small peaks, the entrance to a
large gate or perhaps in the middle of a pair of gigantic surrealistic swan
wings.
4. The
Storyteller’s chair:
On the opposite side of Hans Christian Andersen the circle will make a turn
toward the centre. In the middle of the turn the bronze bench will change shape
and rise into the storyteller’s chair, which rises over the basin edge. The
person sitting on this chair has the figure of the poet in the background
between the wings with the fairytale figures.
5. The
water sculptures:
The basin will hold 50 cm of water that is sprinkled periodically from small
nozzles on the sides of the circle. On the inner side of the sculpture wings
there will be a constant flow of water on the surface, which will give the
inner side of the wings the hint of a glossy grotto surface. At the bottom of
the basin there will be several smaller sculptures under the surface of the
water. Mainly the fairytale figures belonging to the water element, like for
instance Agnethe and the Merman, the Mermaid, the Marsh King’s Daughter, etc.
These sculptures will only be visible in the evening when the underwater
sculptures are illuminated.
The
sculpture has some built-in practical functions:
It will
work as a sort of oasis of relaxation, where the passers-by can sit on the
bronze bench and relax.
The seat
for the storyteller which is placed in the basin is to be used, for instance,
on a fixed day of the week, when a storyteller comes to tell one or more
stories, weather permitting They do not have to be stories of H.C.A. I have
discussed this with the Odense Storyteller Society, which aims to build up such
a tradition similar to the one in Central Park in New York. In this way a
bridge is built from the universe of our old writer of fairytales to the
storytelling tradition in present-day Denmark. One could imagine that good
storytellers visiting Odense could be asked to sit on the chair and read a
story to the citizens.
The bench
makes a turn inwards toward the centre of the circle, which means that there
should be room for the audience to sit and listen to the stories. Also there
are a number of smaller seats on the ground in front of the storyteller’s
chair. This makes more room for audience.
The
sculpture wings will be divided into an outside and an inside facing the basin.
On the inside will be the figures of The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, etc. These
figures represented here belong mainly to the element of water. On the outside
the figures belonging to the land element will be placed.
Only
specialists will be able to identify all the figures of the stories, though
everybody will try. This will increase the knowledge of the whole body of
H.C.A.’s work and give the visitors knowledge of the less known stories. One
could imagine that visitors would make it a point of honour to recognize the
greatest possible number of stories, and this way the fountain will work as an
interactive sculpture, which most likely will have a high tourist potential.
The H.C.A.
sculpture is created from a traditional concept of his figure. During the last
few years there has been a tendency to describe H.C.A.’s vanity. These
descriptions might be true, but I see him as a warm and critical storyteller,
defending the weaker party and in his own subtle way dissociating himself from
the double standards of his age and of the present world as well. This is also
what made me portray him in a relaxed and popular pose.
H.C.A. is
an inseparable part of Danish culture and an important source of inspiration to
many a Danish writer or artist. To stress this symbolically one will be able to
see H.C.A. in the background when the storyteller is in his chair.
Materials: copper and bronze.
Lighting: At night the H.C.A. figure and the
sculpture wings are illuminated from below by an underwater spotlight.
Location: In a central site or a park that
can be transformed into an oasis of relaxation.
More
info: I will be in
a position to show the model and further information about my ideas about
H.C.A. if you are interested.
On www.aidoh.dk you can find this description,
various writings about the sculpture and pictures of the model.
Jens Galschiot, sculptor, Banevaenget 22, DK-5270 Odense N, Denmark
Tel. (45)
6614 4038, Fax (45) 6618 4158, E-mail: aidoh@aidoh.dk, Internet: www.aidoh.dk
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