Mapping of the Movable Aalborg, Denmark

Mapping

TRoA Fjordbyen Arctic Street Food of the North Urban Art Studio

1000Fryd

Studenterhuset Casa Anne Maries Vej MovableHuset Center for Dansk Jazzhistorie Marienhaab Nordjyllands Kunstnerværksted Klaverstemmeren Cykel 20 Artbreak Hotel Det Hem’lige Teater Blok X Aalborg Fødevarefællesskab

Aalborg,Råt&Godt

AAAA (Aalborg Artist’s Association) Aalborg Surreal Dunkelfolket f.eks. Projekt Vækstlag 9000 Hal9k DenmarkTrekanten Mapping of the Movable is a digital guide that locates and gives a voice to self-organized spaces, subcultures, and commons within the city of Aalborg. It introduces twenty-eight existing groups that are activating the city in different ways through urban actions, activities, social gatherings, the arts, crafts, or activism. The guide is centered on conversations with the different communities about their everyday rhythms, Introduction social aspects, self-organized structures, decision-making processes, and challenges or (un)fulfilled dreams. The conversations also highlight the complex networks they continually reproduce as part of their dynamic relationship to the city. This is relevant since Aalborg is undergoing a post-industrial transformation into a knowledge and cultural city, similar to many others across the globe. Mapping of the Movable, Aalborg, Denmark, 2021 This project is conceived by artist Maj Horn together with the contemporary art initiative f.eks. based in Aalborg. Mapping Artistic Practice of the Movable is a multi-layered artistic investigation that and Project Development: Maj Horn has taken shape over several years through performative interactions, public workshops, city walks, conversations, Curation, Event organization, and digital gatherings. The communities that are a part of and Facilitation: f.eks. / Scott William Raby this guide have been selected through an organic flow of interactions, where project participants have suggested the Local research and collaboration: Kamilla Mez, Casper Clasen featured organizations. The core of the investigation has and Nikolaj Legaard been about local knowledge sharing and enabling self-reflective conversation where invited audiences contribute Process Photography: f.eks. / Rikke Ehlers Nilsson with experiences, questions, and reflection.

Design: Ľubica Segečová Although the project poses many social, political, and economic questions, it reveals three important qualities that Editing: Maj Horn and Scott William Raby define local organization: longevity, degree of professionalism, and accessibility. Some groups have been in existence for decades - the oldest is from the 70’s - yet there are many Meisner Christensen at Kunsten Museum new initiatives as well. Another aspect is professional status of Modern Art for her much valued input - is it leisurely, to make a living, or somewhere in-between? and thoughtful feedback. The final shaping factor is accessibility – is it open to the public, partially closed, or does it cater to a subculture with different accessibility needs? Overall, many of the places and spaces are flexible in both form and function as many of these characteristics overlap.

Mapping of the Movable seeks to unite different groups through an alternative vision for urban engagement by f.eks. is a non-profit, artist-run initiative that creates experimenting with different performative strategies. We critical and speculative engagements bringing artists, hope the guide creates visibility for important layers of the audiences, and society closer together in new ways. city, while mapping different communities, inspiring new The f.eks. team consists of artists and organizers initiatives, and increasing awareness of Aalborg’s commons Scott William Raby and Rikke Ehlers Nilsson, with and the people that reproduce them. help from research assistant Mille Holtegaard.

There are many warm wishes and sincere Mapping of the Movable is kindly supported by The thank you’s owed to everyone who helped Danish Arts Foundation and Aalborg Arts Foundation. make this project possible. Moreover, would not be possible without the dedi- For more information: cated, ongoing dialogue and participation www.majhorn.dk with: 1000fryd, AAAA, Aalborg Surreal, www.f-x.dk Artbreak Hotel, Arctic Streetfood, Blok X, Casa Anne Maries Vej, Cykel20, Det The publication is written in both American and British Hemlige Teater, Dunkelfolket, Huset, English as reflected in its collective transcription and Klaverstemmeren, Kunsten Museum translation by different non-native English Speakers. of Modern Art Aalborg, Nordoplyst, The As such, an International English incorporating both Greenlandic House, North Urban Art Stu- forms was utilized to keep the individual styles and dio, TRoA, Råt&Godt, and Vækstlag 9000. expressions intact, but favoring American English Furthermore, much appreciation is due due to the Editor’s familiarity with Standard Amer- to curator and post-doc researcher Signe ican English. p. 6 map↗ 1000Fryd Det Hem’lige Teater Projekt Vækstlag 9000 Studenterhuset p. 42 ↘ p. 140 ↘ p. 246 ↘ Aalborg p. 268 ↘

AAAA (Aalborg Dunkelfolket Aalborg Artist’s Association) p. 152 ↘ Fødevarefællesskab Nordjyllands p. 58 ↘ p. 256 ↘ Kunstnerværksted p. 270 ↘ f.eks. Aalborg Surreal p. 164 ↘ Center for Dansk p. 74 ↘ Jazzhistorie Trekanten p. 258 ↘ p. 272 ↘ Huset Artbreak Hotel p. 182 ↘ p. 88 ↘ Fjordbyen North Urban Art Studio p. 260 ↘ p. 274 ↘ Klaverstemmeren Arctic Street Food p. 196 ↘ p. 104 ↘ Kunsthal NORD p. 262 ↘ Nordoplyst Blok X p. 208 ↘ p. 114 ↘ Hal9k p. 264 ↘ Råt&Godt Casa Anne Maries Vej p. 220 ↘ p. 124 ↘ Marienhaab p. 266 ↘ TRoA Cykel20 p. 230 ↘ p. 134 ↘

p. 10 map↗

Scott William Raby: A major aspect of the project is to engage with the city of Aalborg - it’s public spaces and how those are being changed Contextualizing or transformed through gentrification, urban renewal, and the commercially driven, hyper- the Movable branded transformation process of the city. Could you share some reflections about Aalborg, what you thought was interesting about it, and A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, how the city’s qualities shaped or inspired your and Signe Meisner Christensen investigation?

Maj Horn: One crucial factor for the project is the city’s size. Over the past few years of research, the scale of the city allowed the project to gather a large amount of places into the process, and The intention of this exchange is to share, unpack, and I don’t think that would be possible in Copenha- open up the methodologies and implications of artist Maj gen, for instance. The scale, or something with Horn’s public art project Mapping of the Movable - a project the manageable size of Aalborg is important, she has been developing in different forms and formats but also the city is large enough that things are since early 2019 with the contemporary art initiative f.eks. happening and there are many different cultural across various locations in Aalborg, Denmark. All three and other initiatives there. The location is also of the participants are involved in the project in different important, in that it takes two hours from Aar- capacities. Maj Horn is the artist who initiated the project, hus to get to Aalborg, so it has its own cultural Scott William Raby is the lead curator and organizer with scene since it is farther removed from some the art initiative f.eks., and Signe Meisner Christensen is of the other larger cities in Denmark. Further, a theorist, curator, and post-doc researcher co-organizing the notion of Aalborg being a former industrial the digital publication launch in affiliation with Kunsten city that is transforming into a cultural city is an Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg. important characteristic. On a different note, the walking distance that Aalborg has reflects This conversation on Mapping of the Movable took place on that it is a dense, former medieval city as well. December 16th, 2020. It was moderated by Scott William Raby. Another interesting quality is that many of the Contextualizing the Movable p. 12 map↗

organizations already collaborate with each relation to your project from f.eks.’s perspective, other, so there are these pre-existing links there’s been a tremendous amount of partic- between many of the initiatives. Maybe the ipation and eagerness from the community, last characteristic to mention is the role of the from different groups to want to engage with municipality, because it is very clear that the your project of trying to map and understand municipality in Aalborg is supporting the cultural the different self-organized communities and scene or the self-organized initiatives in many spaces. I’m not sure if it’s a residue of the kind ways. This is mainly financially, but also with of traditional working class character of Aalborg physical infrastructure, buildings, and spaces. or the fact that it is a smaller city and is a bit That has been quite a surprise how much the more isolated, so in a way it’s perhaps more role of the municipality has been playing in our cooperative in the way that people reflect and conversations with the different organizations. work here, but that’s been a standout feature. From our perspective, the participation has been SWR: How does the digital publication or the very engaged, very dynamic, very welcoming, broader project itself reflect the unique history very warm, and very sharing. After working in of Aalborg and how does that help us under- many different international contexts and cities, stand your project in context? How does history I think it’s hard to find that particular character, facilitate the project and what qualities of the and your project captures and highlights these city itself allows for this project to take place? qualities.

From the perspective of an artist-run organiza- MH: Of course this is important when working with tion working in Aalborg with public space and socially engaged art. It is one thing to ask people art projects that have a participatory character, if they want to - just to give a silly example - peel are temporary or ephemeral, react to the urban an orange. It is something else if you ask them transformation dynamic of the city, or have an to describe their own place, community, and experimental, social, or political character that its conditions. It’s a good entrance point to get reacts to the city itself – Aalborg’s qualities really many people engaged because it’s something facilitate your project and how it fits within the that they really, truly care about and they’re schema of f.eks. in a nice and interesting way. In already engaged with. I believe one reason why

A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 14 map↗

so many have participated is that they want to does not already exist, while thinking about be a part of a bigger cause, but they also want my own role as a curious outsider who wants to have a self-reflective moment. to understand the community in a sincere and generative way. On a related note, having the Signe Meisner Christensen: You both mention various longer time frame of the overall engagement aspects moving from this interest in engaging enables the conditions to properly conduct this with the city and its public spaces, which seems investigation and ask these questions. Naivety to have been at the core of the performative is somehow a key tool in opening up discussions events that have been taking place in public by asking some very banal questions to start squares. Then, on the other hand, you expressed a socially engaged process. an interest and focus on those communities themselves and how they work, their unique SMC: If a key point is to encourage the collective qualities, and their decision-making processes. thinking process, what would be the central I’m still a little bit confused about what has been issue for this collective thinking process that the central focus in the project - what’s at stake? would be at the very core of it?

MH: It’s an experiment to invite more people MH: There are a diverse array of communities into a process about how to think together. It that are a part of the project, but what they is important to create these social moments have in common is that they have more than and a platform for opening up, sharing who you one person and are working together collec- are, what you do, and asking each other ques- tively, so that is a core question… how to work tions in relationship to local communities and together? Another important aspect of this is self-organization. That’s why, for instance, it was decision making processes, which are very important for me to mention that the primary much a part of it. Also, the professionalization research aspect of the project is that it’s an aspects have a significant impact - if you are open-ended participatory process not primarily doing it as work, a way to make a living, or if the about my own reflections of the city. It’s about engagement is leisurely or more of a hobby, this having shared dialogues and discussions. The creates different environments. These aspects project is about how to create a network that are very much about how to do things together and also how to learn collectively. A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 16 map↗

do not interact with the system in the world? SMC: Is it about understanding, learning, solidar- Do they actually open up to larger topics and ity, and community as something that emerges groups? What is your experience guessing from out of working together? Does that catch the your research? core of it? MH: It’s a good question, which depends on MH: I think so yes, but it’s also important to act. the different places and also their operational That is key to understanding the city you’re a scale. One thing we have been discussing is part of and that is where mapping comes in. where they have been in the past, where they Mapping helps to understand what you have are currently, and where they want to be in the in common, what you don’t have in common, future. Actually, several of the places mentioned how you see your community being a part of they would like to open up their organization the city, and a part of the history of the city as even more - they’re working on how to engage well. For example, a place like Huset has for more people, other kinds of people, and not almost 50 years been a part of the cultural to be just the same kind of group. At least two scene in Aalborg. What does that mean and of the initiatives have said that they also work how does that influence the city? That is also with the municipality to make a strategy for where I see an important point of talking about this. It seems like many of the places actually public space. How does one see themselves want to open up more than they do today. It is being a part of these public spaces? That is well-documented that the Aalborg Municipality also why I think it’s interesting to invite these prioritizes cultural initiatives for funding that very new projects to be a part of the mapping prioritize openness and accessibility. Therefore, process to ask questions about what it means this incentivizes a certain type of new cultural to be in Aalborg today as a new initiative. activity to prioritize openness as a key feature of its structure if it wants to receive funding. SMC: After having these experiences with the project and learning about these initiatives, what SMC: This aspect of autonomy or openness are your impressions? Are they seen as more of the different initiatives is really interesting or less autonomous, closed communities that and important. I’ve only participated in one of

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your events in which we visited several spaces community at the same time being under the around the city - one of these was 1000Fryd. influence of external factors. That was very During the conversation we had with people interesting. It just happened to appear to me from 1000Fryd it was really, really interesting when you were speaking about this ecological to see how there’s a special use of language. environment that these initiatives are producing For example, they have a very expressive use the city out of this “ecology” as a whole. Then, if of their self-understanding that is different you say that these initiatives enable collective from broader society. For example, the word thinking, ways or modes of working together and “activists” and “activism” and so on that is that in itself may be a constituted value – a kind cultivated within these closed or semi-closed of a quality of life - how do you then quantify communities was apparent. Then on the other the value they produce intrinsically within the hand, you mentioned the municipality and community? Also, not only the value that they influence that the municipality has on these provide, but also the value they produce for groups. In the case of 1000Fryd it was quite the city? Rather than looking at part in some- evident that those policies coming out from thing that in this instance facilitates, it’s then the municipality, for example around startups or interesting to turn it the other way around and creative entrepreneurship - starting up a career to ask what value do these initiatives actually as a part entrepreneur in that sense was also provide for the city? present. 1000Fryd was a very, very interesting and contradictory entity, that on the one hand MH: Yes, that is a nice way to turn it around for sure. held its own autonomous idea of what they were, and on the other hand were reacting to SWR: One of the key aspects of the project that is external influences and policies - I don’t know often highlighted or becomes a point of depar- if that goes for other initiatives that you have ture is also this idea of an alternative economy been exploring as well. For me it seems that that the different self-organized groups, projects, there are very different ethoses of operating associations, organizations, and people that and seeing oneself, as what Bordieu would you are working with in the production of the call habitus - what these ideas of who you are artistic elements make visible. They in one way in relation to your community mean, but that or another are framed through, they reproduce,

A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 20 map↗ or they activate an anti-capitalist, a DIY or DIT a tradition to address it as an alternative pro- ethos, some form of sharing, labor trades, or duction of society - what society should be and other forms of public support that makes for what community should be. Is that something a social or creative infrastructure for people to that you have encountered during your project? use. What I find interesting or what your project highlights are also these different economies, MH: Yes, definitely, and I think it’s not all the which the online guide then becomes a useful communities that would fit into this description form because it allows, highlights, or shows as alternatively producing society, but for many how someone who reads it could use or engage of them it would. For example, there are many with these different economies. To take it back places that are roaming, dematerialized, or don’t to your point Signe, this creates a context in have a traditional space and operate with new which one can think about the overall value that organizational models. For example, there are they’re producing for the city, for the citizenry, at least three or four projects similar to f.eks. or for themselves, which I think is one of the where they don’t have a physical space, but most interesting, key, or important socio-eco- they have content, a working methodology, and nomic and political questions that the project then they are using different sites or locations raises - who is producing value for whom - and for different activities. These initiatives could why - and how? be working toward an alternative economy or an alternative society. It’s not so much about SMC: To follow up on this issue of the relationship the “walls” or the physical infrastructure, but and the interaction between these small sub- it’s more the frame for doing things that also cultures or alternative spaces is the tradition frames these alternative forms of production to observe alternative spaces as somehow which are actually quite heavily featured in the also producing alternative ideas about society. digital guide. This is the D-I-T or “do it together” Do you think that’s happening in your case aspect that has been mentioned many times, studies? That’s a tradition in the 20th century which is a key quality of many of the alternative in cultural critique and cultural theory to talk communities. about alternative spaces or how Scott was mentioning alternative economies. There is SMC: What are some of the ideas about society

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and ways of living together that you have encoun- groups within the city are reproducing them- tered during the project? selves in interesting and dynamic ways. This ranges from things like shared economies, to SWR: That’s a good and interesting question. alternative lifestyles around ideologies, open I hope you don’t mind if I reflect on this Maj? sourcing or open access to space and resources, self-education or the ability to acquire skills MH: Please, continue... about something with no previous knowledge, as well as communities that are self-declared SWR: Maj and I have had a lot of discussions non-discriminatory, among others. about this throughout the project. For example, there has been a lot of conversation about the MH: I would like to add one very concrete thing to different “languages” in the project. I believe it this. In our conversation with many of the initia- started with maybe wanting to look at self-or- tives, especially the ones that are smaller or are ganization within the city or to look at the (re) not heavily independent from public financial production of the commons. Then as we had support, many of them are very fast at testing many conversations about how elements of out and experimenting with new ideas. They subcultural aspects of the project were emerg- can be open for people coming in and saying ing, maybe not unlike how Dick Hebdige would “we would like to test this out” and they’re really describe them, but specifically thinking that okay with using that suggestion. When we have there are a lot of different subcultures we’re been meeting in the culture houses or in these encountering in the process such as punks, different self-organized initiatives, it is very easy hippies, vegans, hipsters, artisans, DIYers, and to see them testing out new ideas, and that it many others. There are different communities is okay to fail if something is not working. We that help frame these questions around alter- have had some really nice conversations about native societies or thinking about social norms that and from my perspective, this is a value and values in a different way. As the project we could learn from as something positive to has developed over the years, we’ve utilized support more broadly. Therefore, what is the different terms and frames for thinking about value of this openness? What value does this how the city is reproducing itself or the different experimentation give to the city? I think it’s very

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rich to have these platforms where you dare to MH: Since there’s quite a lot of people involved test out new formats, new ideas, new tendencies, in the project, it opens up many doors and there and it’s okay if it fails. Also, on a different note, are many things that could be a continuation, in our conversation at the last digital meeting, especially as you suggest in relation to repro- there was one initiative, Aalborg Surreal, saying ducing the city. Right now I’m focusing on the that they would like to continue their project digital guide to make some of these ideas and of making emerging visual art, but they were possibilities more visible. lacking a space and then two other platforms responded they could just give a call or come SMC: Also, another point is how these initiatives by and they could figure it out. Some initiatives are distributed. If you look at them as a map con- were very easy at opening up the doors and sisting of various resources, some of these will helping each other out even within the digital be physical or material in nature. Others will be meeting we hosted. based on immaterial resources such as human effort, commonality, and so on… What, then, is SMC: It’s a really important prospect or approach the condition or possibility for an initiative or to city production – the production of the city platform to happen? As we mentioned before, from the point of view of those smaller entities there was someone lacking a space, so what that escape visibility or escape public attention. does physical space mean? Then you also say It would be a powerful thing to propose that these at some point the digital conversation was also “laboratories” have greater influence - because beneficial. What is the part played by physical they have space, they allow for something new to frames and what is the part played by what can emerge, they allow for failure, and so on. Under be sustained digitally? Also, because we are our current predicament of urban development under a condition in time in the 21st century in that is heavily influenced by corporate capital, which we experience that larger forces are taking gentrification processes and entrepreneur over our decision making around our attention models described by David Harvey that allow and what we spent time with. These are also for virtually no social experimentation, these the driving forces threatening to deprive social small enclaves are vital to the reproduction of life of experimental activities. Also, we are living the city. What are your thoughts on this? in a pandemic era now. This is probably only

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the first pandemic in a series of pandemics, Aalborg also want to learn something new and because climate crises and our loss of biodi- want to know where to go - that is an aspect or versity is what really enables the pandemics to aim with the digital guide as well, that people develop. Therefore, there is a basic threat to can also get an alternative insight into the city. social life, and some of the qualities that you are looking into within these small communities SMC: Maybe one could say that in relation to how are actually presenting what is missing in our Scott tried to paint this perspective of layers of social life in various ways. historical transformation, that this layering can also be described in relation to groups that are MH: Yes, indeed. Another aspect of doing a pro- long formed practices, while at the same time ject like this during a pandemic, which limits modifications are opened up to new people how we can meet, but also underlines the value and the new Aalborg. Have you been looking of a community. Most of these communities are into this during your investigation of this layer- friendships or one’s chosen families. It’s a huge ing? Not in terms of the transformation of the problem now during the pandemic how many economy or the transformation into a service, people feel lonely and disconnected within communication, and knowledge society, but their community and some of these initiatives more on the level of people coming into these provide a huge social support as well. Of course, groups. The people that are manifesting the we have also had conversations about how new Aalborg - the post-industrial, international, many of these communities are also meeting or creative city. digitally instead. There’s an answer in finding new ways we can meet that highlight the core MH: Yes, of course - there’s so much layering. value of having a network. Parallel to having the There are a few anchors or starting points cre- conversation with the communities, we have ating these multiple connection points and one also had public meetings where people could is Huset. The cultural house is almost 50 years participate and be part of the conversation and old and many of the other initiatives we are in visit some of the sites and there have been touch with emanated from its initial community, a lot of newcomers to the city who signed up including another anchor of the city 1000fryd. for this as well. Many people who just moved to Another key starting point for recent organization

A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 28 map↗ about craft and craftsmanship. This is a place within the newer initiatives is the Art and Tech- where people that have trouble getting a job, nology Program at Aalborg University. We can can get an informal education in different crafts see that there are at least three or four of the that is both collective but also entrepreneurial. new initiatives that have something to do with This is coming out of different working-class students who have met there and thought there traditions of working with wood or building was a lack of platforms for exhibition making, materials, but it also has an interesting overall organizing, and socializing. One could say this spatial context. It is being housed in a really new educational program at the university is large former industrial building, where there a crucial anchor for creating newer layers of ini- are also other pop-up initiatives that are more tiatives, which is also very international - adding culturally involved. It is located in an old train a lot of diversity and global approaches to the depot actually. cultural life of the city. However, this new international cultural presence is also under attack SWR: What I would say in terms of connecting as the university has recently removed many some of these threads of the working-class of its international programs in the humanities tradition or the different generational divides studies, and it remains to be seen the effects or discrepancy is the way that different organ- this will have on cultural life. izations utilize the post-industrial architecture. It’s a kind of a motif referring to the working class SMC: Do you also see vernacular and local work- history that is really typical in Aalborg, where ing-class practices merging with other more a former factory, or a harbor area, or a waterfront recent practices – the do-it-yourself or the front becomes a cultural site or sites. This is more student driven practices? typical in other places as well like Canary Wharf in London or Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, MH: One example that comes to mind is Råt&- where working class areas, where the remnants Godt. It’s a five-year old initiative that is both of industry become a part of the gentrification a do-it-yourself furniture workshop, a material process of the city. These areas are developed bank where you can get recycled materials, and into a knowledge and cultural economy and are a testing ground for young people between often turned into or converted into cultural sites, eighteen to thirty years old where they learn locations, places, or organizations. To go back

A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 30 map↗ to the working-class tradition, this is reflected Karolinelund, public spaces on the waterfront, through some of the different architecture or Fjordbyen - these are different sites that of some of the different spaces and places. Mapping of the Movable has interacted with that Råt&Godt is one of them where the old train bring into play different working class people, maintenance factory is turned into a site for traditions, urban transformation processes, different craft, carpentry, and design on a small and politics. scale. Also, thinking about the mapping process of your project and the kind of working-class SMC: There’s a flair to your project that is similar tradition of the pubs seems important. Aal- to exploring the social biodiversity of Aalborg, borg’s unique smoking pubs keep popping up and asks the question - what is important with as a site where the younger generations meet this biodiversity for sustaining the city? The way or interact with the older populations. In these in which sustainability is being addressed today places the retired population that might have is very much in terms of recirculating materials, had more of a tradition or relationship to the optimizing energy, and integrating climate sus- working-class history of the city meet some tainable solutions. The aspect of social sustain- of the youth subcultures and the students of ability is actually mostly lacking or missing out different generations. Also, connecting some from the way in which urban planning policies, of these intergenerational qualities would be cultural policies, and so on are being directed the broader sites as well. The sites that are more and more towards sustainability. What you being developed, that are in the process of are touching upon and what you are pointing redevelopment, or that have a conflicted status to is actually the social biodiversity of the city perhaps like the Karolinelund Park that is used and this is a really important discussion. It is by multiple different groups are good examples crucially important that more inclusive scope of intermingling. It is highly sought after by around the “biodiversity of the city” becomes developers as centrally-located real estate, part of the discussion around sustainable cities. but is also a green transition space that the city wants to restore to its original ecological MH: Yes, I’m happy that you’re mentioning that. condition that was eradicated during previous An important idea relates to these new images phases of Aalborg’s industrial growth. A site like or representations of the city, which help us

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to understand the often complex and invis- or unsettles a top-down narrative. I’m also ible processes that frame our urban exist- reminded of the conversation Scott and I had ence. Therefore, it is important to discuss this with Anthony Carfello when we spoke about group of layers as a “biodiversity of the city”. the idea and effects of a transnational global For example, if you want to have a biodiverse presence. The global transport of standardized garden then you need to have seven different or caricatured offices and other types of spaces layers - a root layer, an herb layer, a low-tree that don’t really grow out organically from the layer, a tall-tree layer, etc. That’s also a way to city and its history have recently become of understand different levels and layers, where great value for city developers. Does this ten- the various species survive and thrive better dency make sense in relation to Mapping of because of each other and in this ecological the Movable? system they are mutually dependent on each other. This is a visual analogy that also creates an SWR: Yes, surely. As the project curator/organizer, image of the city describing the smaller scales one of the key methodologies I see that Map- and larger scales and different relationships ping of the Movable produces would be using between the city’s cultural and social initiatives infrastructuring or art as an infrastructure itself and how they inform, support, and co-develop and through the project, Maj has inspired and each other in different ways. motivated the creation of a cultural infrastructure for different groups to come together around SMC: There’s also a political potential in your these questions that the urban transformation project for addressing another vision of the city process produces. That was one of the inter- in comparison to the one that is feeling more esting things about the digital gathering that and more advanced by politicians. This vision Maj initiated was that people began to realize reduces cultural activity to a very standardized in these events that even though they don’t thing that can be promoted as part of the city necessarily know each other, they have a lot brand or through large cultural events and of common interests, are coming from similar festivals. Speaking of the cultural biodiver- fields or backgrounds, whether it’s representing sity can easily slice into this (technocratic or a marginalized group or a cultural community - bureaucratic) image of the city, which glitters like theater or design or craft or art that is under

A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 34 map↗ underserved or underfunded – in essence there of physical spaces of the city, both in terms of are many shared interests. To go back to this allowing for hosting these initiatives, but also broader theme that we had discussed earlier in a more fundamental or ontological, way of when the project was in a different state of for- enabling things to happen. It reminds me about mation, the digital guide is a way to also inspire the theorist and geographer Doreen Massey. the reproduction of the city itself in an alternative, What she says about public space or the every- different, or non-normative way, whether it be day space in which you move in the city, is that socially, economically, or politically. I think the it enables unpredictable meetings - when you other methodological angle to think about, is encounter something that you would not expect. the platform as an artistic mode of production You run into people that you do not know. For that itself. Maybe if infrastructuring is one way of reason, Massey says urban space is a primary framing key questions that the project raises enabler of public life, because that’s where you or tries to experiment with, perhaps Mapping meet people. That is where one is confronted of the Movable is almost another way of think- with difference (Massey, 2005) That is notable ing about how it could almost be a platform in to look upon here – the path played by the which the different cultural communities are enabling value of physical space. coming together through your invitations in relation to different institutions. Also, I agree SWR: It would be nice if we ended the conver- with you, Signe, that there’s an interesting and sation by talking about the challenges that enormous social and political potential that the self-organization faces and how we see that project produces within these gestures. from our different lenses. From your differing perspectives, what are the challenges these SMC: It creates an infrastructure pointing to different communities face? We could think the biodiversity of the city and its importance. about this in terms of Aalborg or more broadly, I agree with Scott that a project like Mapping but could we discuss this from our different of the Movable is also at the same time per- angles – what do we see are the challenges formatively enabling communication between to these different organizations and how can initiatives. Then certainly that is an interesting those challenges or forces be dealt with? question at stake here around the importance

A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 36 map↗

MH: I see the potential conflict is that almost all to generalize what the challenges are in these these projects are dependent on usually one different instances. One important factor for or very few people. It can make a project very these initiatives is not to become enclaves that vulnerable if someone is getting ill, stressed, are probably thriving from public resources, and or has to move. For smaller initiatives, it can then not blending into the city or interacting with be very fragile if the daily activity is too much its broader context. That could be a challenge. on the shoulders of one or very few people. Another factor - as maybe I was touching about Another aspect is the lack of financial support. mapping before – relates to the changing time If you don’t have enough money to simply carry and space of culture and how time and space out basic activities, this is a very difficult posi- are being experienced today in a way difficult tion. Another question is about how to create to align with the temporal and spatial life of the best possible frame for these initiatives these initiatives. Our life is more and more to dare to test out new formats to experiment being curated (if you could say that) by rapidly more often. If they don’t dare to experiment, it changing demands. So much of the work that is seems too often that the lack of a sustainable being done in these self-organized initiatives is economy is the reason. based on voluntary work, an engagement that is self-chosen. I’m glad to hear that the students SMC: It’s a good question – what are the chal- from Art and Technology engage themselves lenges and how to address those challenges. in these, but there’s a general tendency that I probably don’t know these initiatives too well such investments of time into local initiatives and I think it is also difficult to generalize too are not how most people are directed in their much here because they have different missions. daily lives. For example, if you compare The Greenlandic House with Huset, these two initiatives have two SWR: A key aspect I notice relates to issues of sus- very different reasons to exist. The Greenlan- tainability and not just in a kind of catch phrase, dic House has a responsibility for supporting ecological sense, but trying to find economic sometimes struggling people with a Greenlandic sustainability, social sustainability, ecological background, whereas Huset on the other hand sustainability, and political sustainability. It seems is a resource for everyone in the city. It is difficult that the key challenges self-organization faces

A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen Contextualizing the Movable p. 38 map↗ relate to the same broader societal issues in Scandinavian hub), can highlight in terms of terms of how to resist and create new models what an artistic practice can help motivate or and counter models in relationship to 21st cen- generate on a community level, which for me tury capitalism. What I find really interesting, is a really exciting proposition. even in a small city or large town like Aalborg, is that it is a really fantastic prototyping space for SMC: It should also be looked into what strategies new counter models, new forms of alternative are being planned for cities and also specifi- economy, new forms of organizations, and the cally for the city of Aalborg. Does the future experimentation and creation of resistance. city planning actually allow for such initiatives I guess it’s kind of a testing ground or proto- to continue? What are the rationalities that typing space for these types of activities that in determine planning procedures now and in the kind can be tested and potentially transferred future? I doubt if the spaces that are, as you say as sustainable models, and I think this is one unregulated will be regarded as important in the of the interesting things of also being in this planning process. When urban spaces are being particular Scandinavian context. As an Amer- redesigned, quality space is often translated ican in Scandinavia, Denmark is viewed from into a space loaded with the smart cafes and the outside as one of the most functional and the right kind of consumer sustainability – I’m democratic societies globally – in the American skeptical of how well this cultural biodiversity left Danish healthcare and education systems will be treated. are fetishized and I think mostly rightly so. This also creates a unique privilege to dare to test these things out in our own circumstances in Denmark so that they can be prototyped and argued for as functional models of resistance References: that other countries can see as valid and inter- Massey, Doreen: For Space, 2005, L.A. & London, Sage. esting. That is what I see as really relevant from Harvey, David: Rebel Cities, 2012, N.Y. & London, Verso. a macro-perspective, and where working in Lindhardt Weiss, Christian (ed.): Critical City, 2019, Copenhagen, Aalborg (on a smaller scale, uniquely positioned Arkitektens Forlag. as a growing and transforming post-industrial Hebdige, Dick, Subculture: The meaning of Style, Routledge, New York, 1979 pg 90 - 99. A Conversation between Maj Horn, Scott William Raby, and Signe Meisner Christensen p. 40 map↗ 1000Fryd p. 42 map↗

Casper Clasen 1000Fryd is a cultural space and community with roots in DIY and punk culture. D-I-Y means do it yourself which in a broader sense is at the core of 1000Fryd; striving towards as much of an independent and sustainable 1000Fryd development as possible in whatever we do.

We are a multi-disciplinary house that has different facilities – art studios, a rehearsal room for bands, a kitchen, a media room, and so on. The facilities reflect the output of 1000Fryd. Many might know it as a bar and a concert venue, but we’re also an exhibition space, a communal dining space, a cinema, a project space, and Culture House, Music Venue, Art space a lot of other activities as well. Kattesundet 10, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 1980 (at present location since 1984) 1000Fryd is driven by activists and two employ- Website: www.1000fryd.dk ees; I am one of the two hired people. Basically, the employees take care of the bookkeeping and other practical matters of the running of the place. Apart from that, the house is run Date of Interview: 24 October, 2020 and governed by the activists. The Monday Location: 1000Fryd meetings are our highest authority – everything People Involved: Casper Clasen, Kamilla Mez, Maj Horn is decided at the Monday meetings as well as Type of Exchange: Public event our grand meetings and annual meetings. We strive to be a consensus democracy, meaning basically everything is talked through until we agree to the extent that is possible. It takes some time, but it has proven to be a solid foundation for maintaining a community that is based on activism and co-ownership. 1000Fryd p. 44 map↗

CC: In terms of the self-organising part, you can It has basically been like this since 1984 when say that 1000Fryd aims to be a blank canvas. We the association moved into the house. I think it try to give space to people who want to make would be fair to say that not much has changed stuff happen. The aim is that people can walk since that time. The space looks more or less the in from the street and book a concert, an art same, and the way of doing things is very much exhibition or whatever the next week. That is the same as it was in the mid 80s - 1000Fryd the ambition at least; the space should be as is a small time capsule... readily accessible as possible.

Kamilla Mez As long as I have known my partner KM: Also, all of the meetings are open. If people over the past five years and have been living show interest in 1000Fryd, they are invited to in Aalborg, I have been an activist and part of participate in a Monday meeting, so they can organising different things at 1000Fryd. In the meet the community, and tell what they are beginning, I was very involved in the music venue interested in taking part of. In that way they get and soup kitchen, but later on there was a group introduced to the community and its structure. of people who were interested in creating an art exhibition and project space, which is the space Maj Horn You are also in the unique position of we are sitting in right now. As you may see behind owning the house as well - is that correct? the bunk beds, the space was painted a certain way, but then we got white paint donated to CC Yes, that is true. It’s unique in a Danish con- create a sort of very rough white space. It has text. We paid the last part of our mortgage been existing for three years now. Over roughly a couple of years ago, so now it is our house, the past year, we have been receiving a bit of literally. That gives us some independence as money (but not a lot) to cover the expenses of well, of course, even though we are funded by the artists coming here. Mostly we work with the municipality and the state. At least, that is artists from Aalborg or around the region, but the structure of it. also other parts of Denmark and Internationally. What the artists have in common, is that they are KM It is also interesting to point out when thinking emerging, underground, or self-taught. Some about the history of 1000Fryd, that it is a com- of the artists have also graduated from or are munity that evolved from Huset i Hasserisgade. studying at an art academy. There was a user group at Huset that wanted 1000Fryd p. 46 map↗

even more independence from the municipality insist on 1000Fryd being a very than Huset had at that point, so they broke away self-organised and independent and started 1000Fryd. Since 1984, this house institution. On the other hand, it has been owned by the association of 1000Fryd, seems there is also some kind and before that it was a printing company. of outside or external evaluation criteria for keeping up the supply Audience ( ) : Usually when a platform of public funding – so how do you gets state funding or funding from mediate that? a municipality, there are strings attached. Are there any written CC: The municipality does not expect us to down obligations that you have deliver a certain amount of new CVR numbers to meet? (Registered Businesses) per year or aid the city’s entrepreneurial visions in any specific CC: We have a collaboration agreement which way. We are not a business incubator, but we has been drawn up by the activists in cooper- are happy if we’re able to help people along ation with the municipality, so we very much and help them realise their potential. Our get to exist on our own terms. Most of our local entrepreneurship aims deal with people and politicians recognize that we are an important culture and therefore it is fortunately nicely hub for a variety of art forms and social move- aligned with the criteria for our funding. ments in the city. KM: When being a board member back in 2016, : Hearing you saying that brings we had to create a new agreement with the something else to mind since municipality, and in that agreement we had to you talk about members here as write what our intentions were with the usage of ‘activists’, however, the kind of the space. Therefore, I see there’s a high level language you are using to describe of our own intention in this agreement. Also, the interests of the municipality there’s an interesting relationship between the sound more like terms one uses municipality and 1000Fryd, in the sense that the when describing ‘cultural entre- municipality knows the value 1000Fryd has to preneurs’. Can you describe the the city, because it has a level of independence dynamics of ‘outside’ because you from a municipal structure. In fact, there is a level 1000Fryd p. 48 map↗

of distance, or that is at least my impression, CC: It is difficult to broadly characterise the peo- that the municipality would like to keep their ple who are a part of 1000Fryd, as it is a varied hands off as much as possible. bunch. The oldest activist is sixty-nine years old and the youngest is eighteen, or about that : I am just amazed, because last age. People here come from all walks of life time I visited 1000Fryd was proba- with different intentions and different ways of bly in ‘86 or ‘87, and it looked exactly engaging others. The common denominator is the same then as it does today. that they want to contribute to our community. That is really a positive thing when you think about how much Aalborg KM: What I think the space can offer is also has changed. It was very much an a ‘break’ from the transformation of Aalborg. industrial working city and now it I see that at 1000Fryd there is a critical atmos- is a university and a cultural city. phere. As it was previously mentioned, it is At least from this visit, it looks like almost a ‘time capsule’. There is a general wish 1000Fryd is a place that has been to take a break from commercial interests and able to resist and maintain being gentrification, but there’s also a lowkey interest a place for some people in Aalborg in self-organisation and music. who maybe don’t have many other places to go. : I have a question about the realty pressure: the city is developing, CC: I think that is very true. real estate prices are increasing, the city is going through a trans- : What kind of people come here? formation process and 1000Fryd I come from another city, where has resisted up to this point. My there also was a cultural center, question is about the future sus- but that changed over time. It is tainability of 1000Fryd as a cultural interesting to hear and see that house. What do you think are the the municipality got their ‘hands key challenges or key sustainability on’ this place in a great way, but issues that you see as most crucial it also changed who came. Who to keep 1000Fryd going for another then comes here? forty years? 1000Fryd p. 50 map↗

CC: We’re literally built as a community so our Some of our activists have the perspective that main challenge is to keep our community nec- everything you do within this house is a small act essary and interesting for current and new of activism towards a broader, collective goal. activists and inspiring them to help shape The goal is not defined anywhere as such, but 1000Fryd in the future. you can say that it is a shared ambition here to try to be a microcosm of how society could be. : Do you talk about sustainability within your activism? Is that some- KM: The usage of the word ‘activists’ also feeds thing you work on here? into this goal of 1000Fryd, that what you contribute with is something you decide for yourself. KM: When talking about sustainability at 1000Fryd, There is a rhetorical moment, whereas with it is not only about the climate crisis, but also how other places that have volunteers, for example things function with activists in this house and Kunsthal Nord, where I have been a volunteer how to sustain a community that is interested myself - I was not a part of deciding how things in creating events and moments. In terms of were run or what content was there. That is sustainability, there is a high level of practical also what the language feeds into – that at thinking, for example, the kitchen is vegan and 1000Fryd nobody asks you to do anything, you what is being offered in the bar is often organic decide within the community what you wish to or vegan. So, regarding sustainability in relation contribute. to reuse or using things that are second hand, or when something is purchased or renovated, : ‘Activism’ is also about being these questions are also asked. ready for ‘action’, so did you organise some ‘actions’ to show a state- : I have a question about the word ment outside of this house, outside ‘activism’. How do you actually define of this bubble? ‘activism’? What is the difference between ‘activism’, ‘being a com- CC: Some of our activities sometimes take part in munity’, and being an ‘activist’? different actions outside of the house organised by others, but I think our main bit of activism is CC: That is a good question. There is at least just existing in this space and time. With that some sense of a shared view on the world. being said, there are some common viewpoints 1000Fryd p. 52 map↗ here, especially in regards to e.g. social jus- tice, animal welfare and sustainability. There is a shared sense of right and wrong that has naturally developed over time.

Video and VR installation by Eva ThuTrang Ha. © Photo: Peter Drastrup Photo: Kamilla Mez

Video and VR installation by Eva ThuTrang Ha. © Photo: Krzysztof Wieczorek Photo: Kamilla Mez AAAA p. 58 map↗

Maj Horn: Can you give a description of AAAA - what is it, how did it begin, and what are its AAAA aims and activities? Kamilla Mez: The Aalborg Artist’s Association (Aalborg started as a group of artists and colleagues that experienced challenges with the working Artist’s Association) conditions for artists in Aalborg. Rikke Ehlers Nilsson and myself began hosting “critical pic- nics” where our colleagues, friends, and other community members were invited to create dialogues around art and discuss the newly proposed cultural policy in Aalborg. We began having different informal dinners and critical Art Organization / Initiative conversations at people’s houses discussing • No fixed address these art related issues - hence the name Founded Date: 2019 “critical picnic”. In 2019, we initially discussed Website: aaaa.network publishing articles, but this evolved into more political organizational activity over time. The Aalborg Artist’s Association came together formally after the critical picnic’s involvement Date of Interview: 4 January, 2021 with a public artwork curated by f.eks. called Location: Online AAAA or “Aalborg Anti-Artwashing”. The artists People Involved: Kamilla Mez, Scott William Raby, who made this project gifted the AAAA logo they Jens Bugay Hougaard, Mille Holtegaard, created to the critical picnic group who then Maj Horn used it to reidentify ourselves as the “Aalborg Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering Artist’s Association”.

Now AAAA is organized by eleven artists - almost all of us are artists and self-organized curator/ organizers who either live or work in Aalborg. AAAA p. 60 map↗

The only exception is Nikolai Legaard, who is an the general public. Another objective of AAAA is organizer at Huset, but he was with us from the to create more inclusion and diversity between first meeting and then organically became a key artists and institutions, while working towards contributor to the group. We all have a role in an ultimate goal of improving the working, living, contemporary art and the broader cultural field and social conditions for artists. By doing so, in Northern Jutland and we are a diverse group the quality, creativity, and participation between in terms of age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, artists and audiences will be much improved. orientation, and life experience. We are also an To achieve this, AAAA has been working with international crowd of mostly college educated what is actually a hybrid organizational structure, professionals in fields ranging from art, design, in that we’re a multifaceted entity that doesn’t or dance, but now operating primarily as visual have one particular form, but operates at the artists. Some of us are students like myself, same time as an artist collective, an exhibition Mille, and a few others who are pursuing an platform, a socially engaged art initiative, and art education. All AAAA members are seeking also a political action group. a meaningful career in art, a long-term practice, and access to ongoing exhibition making both One of the things Kamilla said that defines locally and globally. AAAA, was reacting to both Aalborg and the region’s proposed policy transformation agen- Scott William Raby: AAAA’s goals define how the das, which were put forth for the next four years, organization is structured and how these con- so AAAA has been a key voice within this public versations have made us want to consider what discussion. Therefore, AAAA needs a flexible activities to do and how to do them. The goals organization, and as such operates structurally of AAAA are predicated around creating better in different ways that are much different than economic, social, and political conditions for an association. We use the name “association”, contemporary visual artists working in Aalborg. but AAAA does not operate like a traditional One of the key features of this is also trying to association as such - it’s not a labor union, it create more democratic involvement between doesn’t directly represent people, and we don’t artists and different institutions in Aalborg so that have a paid membership program as is typical there is a more fair, equitable, and sustainable with other associations in Denmark. Rather, artistic participation between artists and the AAAA represents the ideas and activities that municipality, industry, cultural institutions, and represent better working conditions for artists AAAA p. 62 map↗

and art as a whole in Aalborg. However, any- SWR: One of the biggest issues is a lack of overall one can support the mission of AAAA, all are funding for art locally and regionally. Therefore, welcome to attend its public events, and we’re AAAA’s work is similar to what UKK and BKF really interested to find new ways to make con- have been doing, where those organizations are versations, partnerships, and collaborations with trying to expand artist’s rights and create better other organizations, groups, and individuals in working conditions on a national level. AAAA is pursuit of our mutual goals. working with these issues on a local level within Aalborg and regionally in Northern Jutland as MH: What are the challenges that you want to well. Some of the general public doesn’t know react to or solve? Can you give some examples? that visual artists are statistically the lowest paid income category in all of Denmark, so that is KM: Our biggest challenge is figuring out how a big point of departure for AAAA’s work - how to create a more vibrant and sustainable con- can we make a better economic situation for temporary art scene in Northern Jutland. AAAA artists and get more funding locally for the arts. has also been invited by Aalborg Municipality Also, AAAA focuses on expanding the infra- to discuss both the future of Aalborg as a “Cul- structure for artists and advocates for creating tural City”, and also the future of Kunsthal Nord, a new university arts education in the city. This which is another challenging situation since is important because we’re isolated in Aalborg they haven’t had hired leadership for more than compared to the rest of Denmark, and we’ve a year. Also, a lot of young people move away had to make our own independent professional from both Aalborg and the region so it’s a chal- art infrastructure here without much support, lenge to convince the city to make itself more which is challenging. AAAA has engaged the culturally and artistically attractive for people in city to support funding for infrastructure for their twenties, thirties, and forties. Some AAAA artistic production and for more support in the members are examples of this who have left to form of artist grants as well. attend the University of Gothenburg for a fine arts education to pursue a better future. If you Mille Holtegaard: Another issue we are want an artistic education, you have to leave the facing right now is that we are trying city and Aalborg is the largest city, or at this point to be involved in the public sphere the largest municipality in Denmark without an in Aalborg, while communicating art academy. our aims to institutions as well. AAAA p. 64 map↗

During the pandemic we are now According to those criteria, none facing a new situation in how to of us were professional artists. involve ourselves in the commu- Obviously we were working and nity. It is difficult to meet people living as professional artists, so when we can’t have large scale there is a complete discrepancy public events with open structures between being a professional where we can easily collaborate artist financially and what people and receive input. perceive as being a professional artist socially and in practice. We Jens Bugay Hougaard: Also, a key point want to highlight and rectify this as is in regards to creating a more a key political issue or challenge sustainable framework for artists to for AAAA. Another challenge is the continue their practices in the long- question of the broader economy term. For many years in Aalborg, and what value the cultural pro- there has been a culture of exploit- duction of art, specifically con- ing volunteers to rely heavily on temporary art, brings to the city of free or underpaid labor to produce Aalborg. Another aim is to highlight much of the culture in the city. At the the value art brings to the city, while same time, it’s very strange how one convincing the broader public that is defined as a professional artist art has value in the first place. in Denmark. For example, to get support last year as a working artist KM: We know that the community and municipality in the covid relief packages, you are also aware of the value culture provides for needed to make at least 100.000 the city. The city’s own data shows that art and kroner per year before taxes to be culture are one of the main reasons that people eligible. Many of AAAA’s members are living in Aalborg. This is a value that is not have been working professionally reflected in the economy around culture though, as artists with international exhibi- because it is built so unsustainably. It is built on tion experience, but almost none volunteers, free labor, and underpaid gigs. Many of us were making enough income of us, myself included, have worked at different to qualify for the relief packages. associations in the city as volunteers, and as artists AAAA p. 66 map↗ and organizers have also run different programs note that the reason we’re so obsessed about where we have worked with volunteers. Culture the socio-economic aspect of art is because we in Aalborg is very much dependent on volunteer all have a deep, dedicated passion toward the labor, and in AAAA we also sacrifice ourselves for field of art. We believe that supporting artists these larger political and social aims as all of our can help bring out the generative capacity of art AAAA work is voluntary. One of our challenges is and help society move closer to the personal also that we are working for free in order to have enrichment that art can provide. A lot of us are better conditions, but then we also need to draw working in new ways, new forms and formats, the line between not self-exploiting ourselves as and in mediums that are not easily supported well. Luckily, AAAA has recently received some in a commercial context. AAAA is striving to funding so we’re working on improving this. create more publicly funded art positions in which there is a security net beyond the welfare Mille Holtegaard: In order to not be state or unemployment insurance, as a more exploited, we try not to overwork universal grant system for artists. We are working ourselves in the pursuit of our own for a future where art is viewed the same way goals within AAAA. We also know in society as education or healthcare or any that it is difficult to not overwork other public good that should be supported ourselves and to balance volunteer by tax revenue. Society would never decide time and paid time, but things also to not pay teachers in a public school, and seem to be going in a positive direc- we think it should be no different for working tion with AAAA, since we can also artists because art statistically keeps proving see the results of our hard work, itself to be such a valuable aspect for society for example with our lobbying influ- in so many different ways. Its workforce - the encing the municipality to allocate artists and independent curators - deserve the extra funding for Kunsthal Nord and same middle class livestyles as any other field for resources for the independent serving the greater public good. art scene as well. KM: These challenges exist because we noticed SWR: There is one important thing to add in rela- that contemporary art in Aalborg and the region tionship to the broader artistic conversation as are under prioritized compared to other cultural well about working conditions. It’s important to fields such as music and theatre. It’s not as though AAAA p. 68 map↗

Aalborg doesn’t care about culture, from our under- a few more people to our core organizational standing it really does a good job with music and group in the future. It is unrealistic to foresee theatre, but it doesn’t do such a good job with AAAA as a group of 100, 50, or even 20 people visual art in our opinion in terms of how it funds it, though, since that would be overwhelming for supports it, and involves artistic professionals in organizing our artistic collective practice and the decision making processes surrounding art. coming to consensus decisions efficiently in It’s not that it’s easy to be in the other cultural fields relation to the required speed of our political - many are still struggling. We want to expand the lobbying activities. Also, for AAAA to operate whole of cultural funding, but definitely put more effectively we need trust, camaraderie, shared of an emphasis on supporting visual art. beliefs, perspectives, and an ability to work very closely and intensely together. Therefore, MH: Is the AAAA group open for others? How internally within AAAA, it’s super important that does that work? anyone who is a part of AAAA also believes in this agenda. SWR: We’ve actually talked about this quite a bit, and formed a committee about how to operate We’ve definitely talked about finding new ways in the future. AAAA public activities and events of working toward these common goals, but are open for all to come, we are open to all it is also problematic in how we’re limited to people who want to support our agenda, and be more open based on some of our funding. we are interested in meeting anyone who wants AAAA applied for funding and a requirement to dialogue further about AAAA’s future. At the of this was to make our presence public in end of the day, we want to pursue the goals of different ways. One way we thought would be better socio-economic and political conditions a great way to bring more artists into AAAA and work with anyone who wants to advance this was to make artist profiles and start an artist agenda. AAAA has “association” in its name, index project. This way AAAA could make a new but it started so informally and still operates in access point for artists in the city, map the practice much more like an artist collective. In artistic scene in Aalborg, and make relations this sense, we need to have a pragmatic scale and connections to the local milieu in new for operating like an artist collective. ways enhancing local arts infrastructure. This was actually rejected by one of our funding However, the idea is that we would like to add bodies and they even had to get legal advisors AAAA p. 70 map↗

to review this. In the end, they determined that in some way it seemed too commercial or promotional, so we didn’t get funding for this. It’s really kind of contradictory that when we tried to open up our organization in a new way, this was rejected, but some of the exhibitions were funded. Sometimes it’s a strange and paradigmatic world we’re operating in - I wish it was ultimately less bureaucratic so artistic practice could unfold itself with less restraint.

Jens Bugay-Hougaard: My name is Jens and I am an artist, musician, and music producer. In 2015, I started Aalborg Surreal together with Benjamin Hugo Lager. It is an artistic platform without a fixed location, and we’ve been organising our Aalborg Surreal events and exhibitions in various places. We have been focusing particularly on untested artists and experimental exhibition formats. The people who started it, including myself, are from the Art and Technology education at Aalborg University. The whole thing started because we encountered several students who had some really interesting ideas and works of art, but had never made an exhibition before. We basically said “why not try to create an opportunity to Contemporary Art Platform exhibit.” It is one thing if you make something • No fixed address artistic you show it to friends and family and they Founded: 2015 like it, but it’s a completely different experience Website: aalborgsurreal.dk if you put your art into the public sphere. That experience is something that really can give people confidence in themselves and their ability to be creative. Date of Interview: 24 November, 2020 Location: Online Another important aspect about Aalborg Sur- People Involved: Jens Bugay-Hougaard, Maj Horn, real is the way we are organised, which is one Scott William Raby of the most important things to mention. It Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering has always been a question of people coming in and saying “hey, we would like to organise something” either because they could not find any place to exhibit or because they wanted to try out organising. In that aspect, it has become Aalborg Surreal p. 76 map↗ a playground and a learning experience for about eighty five to ninety percent of the artists young artists. who have applied to exhibitions have been accepted. We see it as a place of learning, we Apart from the first couple of events, my main have made it a point to give comprehensive role has been as a facilitator, which means feedback to the artists that we have rejected as that when people say, “we would really love to well, so they can improve and develop further. do something that fits into your frame”, I tell them basically anything is possible. The name Another implication of this is that it prevents “Aalborg Surreal” sets the expectation for what stagnation as Aalborg Surreal reinvents itself could happen. Every time we have decided over and over again since there’s room for whomever appears and wants to do some- experimentation and also room for failure. I have thing within the Aalborg Surreal frame, they sometimes been in a situation where a team is can do so, and have been given free will to do organising an Aalborg Surreal event, and I’ve whatever they like, which means they have also been looking at what they’re doing, thinking experimented with how to organise themselves. “this could really go wrong”, but I have still said Therefore, whenever Aalborg Surreal makes “unless it is heading towards a total disaster, let an event it has been a completely new, fresh them make mistakes”. Let’s see what happens experience. In that way we have basically tried if things fall on the floor and what problems that to be a platform where it’s about artists learn- creates - they will learn from it. We have also ing and trying to create a community, but also been open for failure, because sometimes you a place where people can do it on their own learn more from failure than from success, but terms, so there’s not one dictating that you of course it also has its downsides. have to organise in a certain way. Maj Horn: Do you have a space? If not, what space The concept is really that it’s not a fixed concept, or spaces do you use? it’s a frame, and that has various implications. For example, we’ve always used open calls. We JBH: Aalborg Surreal is not a physical frame, have never looked at the artist’s name or CV, but rather it’s a conceptual, immaterial frame but rather what idea or concept they submit. – it’s an idea. We don’t have a physical space We have gone through a curation process and and we have used different physical spaces looked if we want to exhibit them or not, and since we first started out. We rented a physical Aalborg Surreal p. 78 map↗ space when it was possible to rent cheaply. It were actually well on the way to planning our was called Byens Rum and we made some big five year anniversary exhibition, but we were events there back in 2015. Most of the spaces not able to find a space. we have occupied for events have now disappeared, unfortunately. Scott William Raby: Of the recurring themes that keep coming up in the different presentations is that MH: What kind of spaces were these and why many self-organised initiatives in Aalborg are in have they disappeared? need of a physical space that another institution could be providing. When you started your JBH: We have made projects in a large, old con- project Jens, you were saying that you wanted crete industrial building, which was perfect for to provide a space for artists who were com- artistic expressions. One event took place at an ing out of the Art and Technology Program at empty office building on the corner of Jomfru AAU who didn’t have the experience of making Ane Gade. On the ground floor there was a strip exhibitions. I’m wondering if this is a reaction club, on the 1st floor there was a pool hall, and to the lack of art education and lack of artistic then on the 2nd floor and upwards there were infrastructure that exists in the city of Aalborg? free office spaces that were not used for anything - they were large open spaces. We got JBH: That could be part of it, for sure. At the time to know one of the people who was holding Aalborg Surreal started, there were a number the key for that space, so we had a big event of people who really wanted to do things and there on a Saturday evening with all kinds of experiment in a way they could not do within the art. In total there were more than 60 artists. education. It was an extracurricular activity, and The location was “surreal” by itself, because we they had nowhere to do it. That was a problem were having an art exhibition event at Jomfru and we found a space that was very cheap to Ane Gade on a Saturday night, which I thought rent, an inflexible office space to make exhi- was quite funny anyway, since Jomfru Ane Gade bitions. Indeed, lack of space for young artists is one of the largest party streets in Denmark is the biggest problem though. with many tourist bars and some strip clubs. That was a great success, but since then, those : I have a question regarding the places are not possible to use anymore as the lack of space-is it because you want city is growing and developing. This year we to find a space where you can do Aalborg Surreal p. 80 map↗

the pop-up projects and exhibitions really think it makes much sense to run it as cheaply or is it because you are a company, because we’re not actually doing it searching for some specific char- for profit. Therefore, it would be a good idea to acteristics of a particular space? open up the project and make it an association again to facilitate more dynamic thought into JBH: Our need for space is not because we want the structure – to add new energy and new the space for free or it has to be in the centre direction. of Aalborg. The most important requirement is that we need to have a great deal of freedom to do what we want within that space. For example, we need to be able to put nails in the walls, or totally transform the space as we see fit. Also, we need to have access to it 24 hours a day because sometimes we have made events and we don’t know when they will end. They could go all through the night and are sometimes highly unpredictable. Sometimes when we have spoken with people who have an available space, they have been reluctant to allow us to do something there because they’re concerned about what’s going to happen since we can’t tell them exactly what’s going to happen.

MH: How are you organised as a project… as an association, a community, or something else?

JBH: In terms of the way we’ve organised ourselves, in the beginning it was just ad hoc, but then we created an association. Then we shut down that association and created a company. Now we are coming to a point where we don’t Aalborg Surreal p. 82 map↗

Kogekunst (Simon Mariegaard & Oskar Sørensen) and Halucinoptic Rex (Nils Sloth & “Misericordia” by Sandro Masai and Inge Tranter. © Photo: Maroš Pekárik Jesper Nymann). © Photo: Jens Bugay-Hougaard

“Machine Dream” by Luca Tornato Serafini. © Photo: Lucia Margheritini “Vitae Alimenta” by Jens Bugay-Hougaard & Doctor Moon. © Photo: Maroš Pekárik Aalborg Surreal p. 84 map↗

“Vitae Alimenta” by Jens Bugay-Hougaard & Doctor Moon. © Photo: Maroš Pekárik Kogekunst (Simon Mariegaard & Oskar Sørensen). © Photo: Jens Bugay-Hougaard

Suvi Pölönen and Halucinoptic Rex (Nils Sloth & Jesper Nymann). © Photo: Lucia Margheritini © Photo: Gergana Kurukyuvlieva Aalborg Surreal p. 86 map↗

Event intro by Benjamin Hugo Lager. © Photo: Gergana Kurukyuvlieva © Photo: Lucia Margheritini

(Artist break, Antonio Jimeno & others). © Photo: Anna Artbreak Hotel p. 88 map↗

Nils Sloth: Artbreak Hotel started fifteen years ago on Rantzausgade. I started the gallery and the workshop with a colleague, but she left after a year, which I was sorry for because I started it to be in a community. As a painter you are - if Artbreak Hotel not lonely - then at least usually alone when you work in the studio. I stayed anyway and was in the gallery in Rantzausgade for a total of seven years. I started making small concerts pretty quickly thereafter. At the time, I was thinking more speculatively that if I held some concerts, more people would come into the gallery and buy something, but of course it did not work. Then I started doing more quirky and more interesting things that also challenged myself, Workshop Gallery and Concert Space and it really took off when I moved here eight Danmarksgade 62, 9000 Aalborg years ago. Founded: 2005 Website: www.nilssloth.dk Maj Horn: Do you have a background in music?

NS: No, but I always listened to a lot of music, went to concerts, and always had a lot of musician Date of Interview: 25 October, 2020 friends. At that time, I met some of these young Location: Artbreak Hotel guys who had an association called Danish People Involved: Nils Sloth, Maj Horn, Kamilla Mez, Vaishyas, who started making events down Nikolaj Legaard here. It provided some completely different Type of Exchange: Informal conversation options. We could get support from the Dan- ish Arts Foundation and Aalborg Municipality, so that meant we could invite some better, more interesting names, plus they got paid the musician tariff. However, both for me and for Artbreak Hotel p. 90 map↗ them it was con amore - we have never made with the young local psych band Hedgehogs, money on it, really. there was a performance by Sandro Masai, a cellist, several poets, and everything else. We The first quirky events started in the old gallery were a total of sixty people in the gallery which space on the cultural nights that were going on was already well stocked with projectors and in the city at the time. What seemed to be the installation art. The project gave us the courage turning point was the sound, space, and video to do more, and we became even more a part installation “Fuck Art, let’s Andy”, which I made of the city’s experimental music and artistic together with Christian Skjødt and Niels Fabæk environment. in 2013. This was where we developed a circle of acquaintances with several like-minded MH: How has it been to apply for public art support people in the city and got in contact with the for these events when you are also a commer- youth music scene. We wrapped the entire cial gallery? room - walls, ceiling and floor - in silver foil and silver fabric with reference to Andy War- NS: Well, I’m not really that either… A gallery owner hol’s “Silver Factory” and installed it as a large typically exhibits a number of other artists. I’m video installation. The idea was that it should just exhibiting myself. Then I call it a workshop all be experienced from the windows, where gallery, because I work with printmaking here and there were small peepholes into the gallery. also make events. It is a bit of a schizophrenic There were fifteen videos and an installed bed place, but one does not exclude the other. among other installations, where a film with I have to make a living selling my paintings. a myriad of ants was projected - it was pretty “Schizophrenic” sounds so negative, let’s just cool and wildly fun. call it a diverse place. I always think things have complemented each other, and then I enjoyed MH: It was a total installation to be experienced collaborating. There has been a great environ- from the street? ment where many of them have become my friends and where it has worked across ages. NS: Yes, and it was open twenty-four, seven. When I easily get to talking about those days, On Saturday, we did a happening called “Fuck it’s because a lot of the good people have the Windows, Let’s Go Inside”, where there moved away, so it’s not as fun as it once was. were concerts, among other performances, Artbreak Hotel p. 92 map↗

MH: Why are people moving away from Aalborg? friend for many years. The rehearsal night was a success - there were many others down here NS: Many have moved to Copenhagen because playing with us, so we called it from the start there are better opportunities there. We are a “light collective”. There has almost always discussing this a lot in the city at the moment, been a ping-pong of ideas and execution. Most how to keep people in this environment, how recently, I did something here in September to make it attractive to stay, but it requires, together with Oskar Krusell and PO Jørgens among other things educational opportunities. for the latter’s ongoing project Strange Sounds The city’s art life is vulnerable if the few fiery / Strange Visuals. We performed the next day souls move away. One can say that many of at Spanien 19c, a distinctive artist-run venue the activities here originated from my circle in Aarhus. The light show has been what got of friends, or we have become friends on the us outside the city and around the country basis of an activity. the most.

Kamilla Mez: What’s exciting about MH: What’s next on the Agenda? Do you think your place is that it creates space you’ll have the place in five years? for dynamic things to happen and is completely independent and NS: No, I do not think so. It’s not to sound disil- non-institutional - it is a cultural lusioned, but I do not think it’s as fun as it once institution without being that at was, but it can grow up again somewhere else. all. Also, do you take people on board with you, and do ideas then MH: Is this because of the challenge to get enough become easier to come up with? of an audience in Aalborg to be a part of it?

NS: It is different every time who comes up with NS: It goes up and down with these environ- the ideas. There have been many side projects, ments in the cities, right? There will definitely for example, BLIXA Artzine among others, that be new ones in a few years, but whether I will we can return to. One of the more long-lasting be a part of it is not certain. It’s possible I’m projects that has emerged here is the light doing something somewhere else. It is a slightly show Halucinoptic Rex. I started it together quirky construction here where the gallery has with Jesper Nymann, who has been a good an open door to the furniture store next door. Artbreak Hotel p. 94 map↗

It is an independent lease here, but there is no various reasons, but I had made a logo for it water and toilet, so it is only usable if you are then, so now that became BLIXA Artzine. Shortly good friends with them next door because they after, we made the first issue. have a toilet. It’s a little fun during the events when people have to use the toilet, then it’s like MH: Did you print it here in the workshop? stepping into a completely different world, but that makes my rental relatively cheap, and that NS: No we get it printed or produced in differ- means people can always come into the gallery ent places, as it always comes out in different and see the paintings and graphics even if I’m formats. The first number was very much like not there. Formally, I am only here on Fridays a traditional A5 artzine format. There is always and Saturdays, where the door is also open a theme – for example release no. 3 from 2016 to the street, but I live and have my painting had the theme drinking, it came out as a bottle studio just on the other side of the street, so extract and it was really fun to make! We always I can be here quickly if I need to be. However, invite a very wide variety of both completely after eight years, I’m a little tired of the situation, upcoming and top professional poets, photogra- even though it’s a smart set up. phers, artists, etc. from all over the country and also abroad. All the contributions to the drinking MH: I can see the practicality in the arrangement. theme were stuffed into a large bowl, drizzled On a different note, can you talk about BLIXA with vodka and then rested for forty-eight hours. Artzine? The contents were then sieved and poured into small bottles that were lacquer sealed and NS: Yes, I think it’s a cool project! One day five numbered with etching on the glass. In addition, years ago, Niels Fabæk and I were sitting at a USB key was attached with forty minutes of Smedekroen, a bar just on the opposite corner, video and still photo documentation of all the then he suddenly asked if we should make an contents as well as the process of making the artzine, and I said “Yes, we must!” Most of the extract. We also released a theme about noise, concepts we agreed upon right there. I said where part of the release was a cassette tape “then it should be called Blixa”, because some with ninety minutes of noise contributions from years earlier, we would have started a series various artists. of events under the auspices of a salon called “Salon Blixa”. It didn’t turn into anything for MH: What is your future dream for Artbreak Hotel? Artbreak Hotel p. 96 map↗

NS: I would do better if all my “chores” were NS: It is natural though, that when you are young gathered somewhere in one place; my home, you want to move away. You have to - it’s healthy painting studio, and gallery. I am not getting any and good, but at the same time it’s just a shame. younger, and no longer bother to commute up For my part, it’s lucky that I meet some young and down the stairs to and from my third floor people where the chemistry is there, for others apartment, but I want to keep making quirky I’m probably just an old asshole. It is nice to things and arrangements. Also, I think I need meet someone where the age difference does to be challenged by new frameworks. not matter and you just gather around what you have in common, despite everything. MH: What do you envision for the events? MH: Do you think you have created a new com- NS: Hmm… that the people involved do not move munity around Artbreak Hotel? away; but they do, and that new ones come to make a new audience. NS: Others can assess and comment on that, but I know that the place has mattered, I can MH: I have seen a statistic about Aalborg that say that with some pride. in general there are not many who move away from the city, rather people from Aalborg tend KM: Quite concretely, back in 2016, the per- to stay here. Is it then those who work with art formance festival “Endings” took place here and culture who often leave the city? at Artbreak Hotel. For my part, it provided an opportunity to try and organize a festival, and NS: It is a bit depressing, as so many students later I participated in BLIXA Artzine. Artbreak go to university and new ones come every year Hotel has therefore definitely been an important and how few you see at the more “skewed” or place for me. The place is like a playful space experimental events. It is as if they have enough where crazy things can happen. satisfaction in Netflix and Jomfru Ane Gade (Aalborg’s famous party street). MH: Would you call the place self-organised?

KM: It also takes a long time to build collaborations NS: I never used that word, so I don’t quite know if within art, and it takes time to get to know people. it is or not. If it was a formal community between It’s sad when you have to start all over again. several artists, it might have been easier to Artbreak Hotel p. 98 map↗ categorise than now where it is just my place. Artbreak Hotel, all of the sudden it was exciting to stand at 1000fryd KM: It’s only you being effected if the rent cannot or Huset and do Dansih Vaishyas be paid, but at the same time there has been concerts, because it was not just such a symbiotic relationship with you and young ten people, but twenty or thirty cultural actors that they have felt that there was people and there was an new space to do something here - a performance environment around it. It did not festival, concert, etc. - events where there may come from day one, since it was not be room for other ideas. You have opened “crooked”, experimental, and some- the door for it and invited it in, but it’s still your thing Aalborg didn’t understand door and your space. Therefore, it’s funny that yet. Artbreak Hotel has helped to it is one person who has the space, but then elevate the city’s musical environ- there is an environment around Artbreak where ment, because it made a space to you do not have total responsibility. try out new things.

MH: Have you held any meetings where you MH: Kamilla, you said that there are many young declared changes or asked your friends to help people that come here - who are generally make new plans for the space? a part of the community - is it the same twenty people, or is it quite broad? NS: It is generally very spontaneous. Danish Vaishyas were here for a number of years, where KM: There are many repeaters and then there there was more planned programming. In the are people outside the network who are just beginning, it was very busy with concerts here, interested, people who have heard about it but along the way we got tired of having to drive second or third hand. There are people from all the instruments back and forth, so they AAU’s Art and Technology Department, from started using the city’s real concert venues, 1000Fryd, Kunsthal Nord, etc. I also think that whereas here it is easy to make a free-jazz people who like Blixa or this place, are also kind concert with just a drum kit and a saxophone. of “whatever”, anarchistic types...

Nikolaj Legaard: With the collabora- NS: Indeed, it’s all that con amore spirit. Also, tion between Danish Vaishyas and curiosity has been the most important thing Artbreak Hotel p. 100 map↗ for me over the years. It is important to be outgoing as things depend on an audience. If you are just the audience for each other, it can also matter, sometimes it is the same in a city like Copenhagen. The environments are often quite small here, so we must support each other.

Jazz by Hayden/Smal and Bertel/Lunds with light by Halucinoptic Rex, arranged by Danish Vaishyas and Artbreak Hotel. © Photo: Niels Fabæk

Poetry reading by Majken Lex, arranged by BLIXA Artzine og Artbreak Hotel. © Photo: Niels Fabæk Artbreak Hotel p. 102 map↗

BLIXA Artzine release, arranged by BLIXA Artzine og Artbreak Hotel. “Glem det hele” a concert-installation. © Photo: Niels Fabæk © Photo: Niels Fabæk

“Fuck Art Let’s Andy” installation by Christian Skjødt, Niels Fabæk and Nils Sloth. Performance by Kogekunst as part of the concert-installation “Glem det hele”. © Photo: Nils Sloth © Photo: Niels Fabæk Arctic Street Food p. 104 map↗

Maj Horn: It is exciting that Arctic Street Food is in the making. What type of place is it going to be?

Mads Siegenfeldt: Hopefully, it will be a place where it is natural to meet up and participate in whatever you feel like engaging with. I want to give Arctic Street Food the young people an opportunity to be part of something that they can feel they own - it should be their place. We have been given a lot of money from different funding bodies, which have made it possible to buy a house, a food truck, and three shipping containers. We built “a small city” at an abandoned part of the Aalborg Harbor. The construction process is slow since it is only myself and some of the other young people working on it, so we need Socio-Economic Inclusion Project to do everything by ourselves.

Skudehavnsvej 30, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 2018 Scott William Raby: Is it near Aalborg Streetfood? Website: dgh-aalborg.dk/arctic-street-food MS: Yeah, it kind of is. If you are standing in front of Aalborg Streetfood looking out on the water, then it is on your right hand side. It is Date of Interview: 26 August, 2020 a new red, big structure near the dock. Right Location: The Greenlandic House now we are building out the kitchen and we People Involved: Mads Siegenfeldt, Maj Horn, have just finished with the terrace, so now we Scott William Raby can sit outside. Type of Exchange: Informal conversation MH: Is the idea that it will be open daily? If not, when will it be open to the public? Arctic Street Food p. 106 map↗

MS: I will be there everyday, but it is not a com- MS: That is a good question… about up to thir- mercial project. We are dealing with Arctic ty-five or something? We are not that strict Street Food, but it is not for the money or for about it. the customers we are doing it for. The goal is to make a place similar to the Greenlandic To again elaborate on our activities, Arctic Street House, but on a smaller scale that the young Food tries to hop on to different cultural events people can relate to in a positive way, because that make sense for us, which for example could many of them don’t relate to The Greenlandic be a concert. Then we contribute with some- House very well. thing Greenlandic to that event. For instance, we have been a part of the Nordic Winter Beat MH: Why is that? Festival twice. It was a perfect match, because it is a music festival that takes place in the MS: There are many answers to that question. winter months, and we are the only food truck On the first floor, The Greenlandic House has that makes street food during the winter when an open office. People come here only if they it is freezing cold. It is a great festival because have some sort of problem they need help or it is with music and people from all around the support with. By stepping through the door, they world. We are just standing there as Arctic Street are kind of a problem, or at least they can feel Food and the Greenlandic youth can relate to that way. Sometimes they just want to be a young the many young people who participate and person, a human being, without feeling like they can tell about their country and culture in they’re a problem. They are already constantly a positive way. That is one of our goals – to bring met with demands in their everyday lives, that other stories to the table about Greenland since they need to fit in, educate themselves, get there are still a lot of Danes who unfortunately a job, etc. I think we can do something else at don’t know much about Greenland. Arctic Street Food. Of course we also deal with the problems that the young people may have, but that is not the first thing we do.

MH: When you say young, what age group is that? Arctic Street Food p. 108 map↗

Freja Hansen: The platform is called Blok X because it consists of several “blocks” of different art genres. In the left section of the house there is an art studio, in the right section we have drama or theater workshops, and there’s a big stage for musical and theatrical performances. Blok Blok X X opened in September of 2019, and is a part of “Young Aalborg” which is supported by The Aalborg Municipality. We have a very specific age range that we focus on, which is young people between thirteen to twenty-five years old.

Besides the art studios and workshop spaces, Blok X also contains a café that is open for everyone. The cafe is run by high school stu- Youth Art and Culture House dents who work closely with the rest of the team.

Karolinelundsvej 40, 9000 Aalborg Our indoor facilities, such as our stage and Founded: 2019 concert hall, can be borrowed by local groups Website: blokx.dk or organisations to perform theatre plays, do poetry slam nights, and so on.

Maja Henriksen: Originally, Karolinelund was an Date of Interview: 24 October, 2020 and January, 2021 amusement park, but it closed down in 2010. Location: Blok X at Karolinelund The roller coasters were taken down, and a large People Involved: Freja Hansen, Maja Henriksen, Maj Horn park was left for the public to use. Since then, Type of Exchange: Public event, written correspondence Karolinelund has become a legal graffiti park and is also home for Blok X. Our building used to be the park’s restaurant, which means that we have a big kitchen we can use to cook and serve shared meals.

Blok X p. 116 map↗

Maj Horn: How is Blok X connected to the rest of The graffiti artists know where they can make Karolinelund? For example, next to your building something new and where they can’t paint over there is a skatepark and a community garden... something already there. Also, I have had my community garden for two years and it has Maja Henriksen: Those are different things and Blok almost never been touched even though it is X is not directly connected with them, but the a public park and people can just walk in. It feels people who work at Blok X have a lot to do with more open and more free than other parks. the rest of Karolinelund, especially Maja who runs the art studio. Many of the artists from : I have a question about acces- Blok X use the park to do street art, since it is sibility. If I just come one morn- legal to paint on the walls in the park. We are ing and decide I want to paint on currently working on getting new walls since we the walls, who should I contact? are running out of space, which is a dialogue How can one engage with the we’re having with the Municipality. Also, a lot community? of the street artists, even though they are not connected especially with Blok X, often visit us Maja Henriksen: That depends on which of the to talk about their art so they are connected in communities you wish to engage with. The other ways in which it is fun to be here. I also community garden is an association, so you have a plot in the community garden. take contact with them and sign up to become a member if you’re interested in the garden. : That is a really interesting point The community around the graffiti in the park is that you have a community garden based on people just showing up. If you want to there yourself. Can you elaborate know more, just watch someone paint by going on the different groups who use over to them and asking about the rules. We have Karolinelund? Is there any collective had users of Blok X who contacted the graffiti way to work together or is everyone painters in the park and asked if they can paint working on their own? with them for just a couple of hours. I have the sense that this is self-regulatory and the peo- Maja Henriksen: What makes Karolinelund special ple who do graffiti know the rules. Also, mural is that there are many different small commu- and graffiti painting here is very much based nities that have a lot of respect for each other. on respect. If someone is painting something Blok X p. 118 map↗

extraordinary, you leave it. Otherwise, it is free to help them define their art and their individual for everyone to paint over. styles, and try to help them to choose a path in life by considering their hopes and dreams Also, Blok X is an open place. When we are for the future. here the doors are open and you can come inside, visit, and get a cup of coffee. The public : A couple of years ago Blok X is always welcome to walk in and see what is was called platform 4. It was more happening in the house. We really want it to self-organised and there were be an open place where people feel safe to a variety of different people and come in and hang out. Blok X is free for young live music there. What do you think people to use, and they can become a user by about this transformation? sending us an email. Then we will invite them in for a talk about what they want to do, and FH: I have to be honest, I never visited Platform 4. afterwards they can start to use the house if I didn’t know it was here, so I am not in a position we have available space. where I can compare the two places..

MH: What are the goals or social responsibilities MH: Does Blok X have any current challenges? of Blok X? Maja Henriksen: Similar to many other initiatives, Maja Henriksen: The goals are to strengthen the we’re currently facing a big challenge with the young people’s confidence in themselves by coronavirus. That has unfortunately forced us to including them in our creative communities cancel workshops and events, because it’s not and giving them a meaningful responsibility. possible to gather groups of people together We believe that taking part in a community and under the current circumstances. We’re all very having a meaningful role in it gives a sense of excited for the vaccine, so we can reopen and confidence, and over time, an ability to trust in get back to work. one’s own skills.

FH: The best thing about Blok X, is that it’s a free space to practice art. We have a lot of emerging artists, actors, painters, and street artists. We try Blok X p. 120 map↗

Maj Horn: Hanne is invited to talk about her project which is taking place in her own house. Welcome, Hanne!

Hanne Brusgaard Petersen: Maj, you say it’s a project, but it is not. It isn’t anything in particular, and Casa Anne Maries Vej it should not turn into anything specific. It just evolves, goes its own way, and decides for itself where it is going. Really, I have only opened up my house in Hasseris for people who want to come here.

It started three years ago when I quit my job because my husband died in an accident. I needed to stay at home to heal myself and Private Home, Informal Event Space my family. I needed “tøffetid” – a danish word for

Anne Maries Vej 22, 9000 Aalborg when you do nothing; you can be in nightwear Founded: 2018 all day, watch TV series, play games, do sudoku, Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/165432950756550 read old newspapers, take a nap, drink coffee, and have long conversations. My colleagues became jealous that I was going home and doing nothing, and that’s why I started “a café” Date of Interview: 17 November, 2020 where others could also come to my house. Location: Online They could come and relax – they did not have People Involved: Hanne Brusgaard Petersen, Maj Horn, to tell who they are, what they want to do in life, Scott Wiliam Raby or what projects they are working on, but simply Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering just share what they have ion their mind that particular day.

When we have talked about other self-organized initiatives here in Aalborg, we often talk about Casa Anne Maries Vej p. 126 map↗ how they are supported by the municipality. I will Maries Vej, that I thought was private. When the claim the opposite, that it is me who supports first people I didn’t know signed up, I found out the municipality. After going home for half a year, that the group was publicly available. I decided to I contacted the municipality and said that if they keep it that way. First, it was mostly my colleagues wanted or needed it, they were welcome to use who came here, then it was my friends and family, my house for something. Immediately after, and now it is all kinds of people who just sign twenty-five young people from Copenhagen up – also many people I have not met before. were here to make workshops about a digital Everyone contributes in one way or another, youth magazine called “Sein”. Through the and the place is open for everyone who wants to municipality I also came in contact with the art join... all are welcome. It is mainly adults in their platform f.eks. and started to help them in the thirties and up to eighty years old who participate. ways I could; some of their international artists stayed at my place and hosted events at the Why am I doing this? I have thought about what house and in the garden. I shall do next in life and what in life has the most value. I have made a motto, “Above all, To have a house that is open for others, is some- sustaining relationships is the most important thing my family and I have been doing all my thing.” It’s about meeting people, filling my house life. Now, it is just put more into a system. When with life, and the joy of seeing people meet. We I started asking people if there was anyone humans are often in the same social circles as who would like to do something at Casa Anne people similar to us; people who do the same as Marie’s Vej, a lot of people came back with us, and think the same politically. It’s exciting to different ideas. Everyone does what they want see people meet here who probably would not to do, and everyone does it for free. We have naturally have fallen into conversation elsewhere. had beer tastings, painted on stones, held Perhaps one discovers that it is not so danger- concerts, art events, yoga, night walks, lectures, ous to talk to people who have other political visits to a permaculture farm, joint meditation, views. It fills my house with energy, even when pilgrimages in cooperation with local churches, people have gone, the energy is still left in my and much more. There is no direction in the house several hours after. The essence of this activities, it’s just what people or I want to do. place is that everyone who comes here gives a lot, but when they leave they have got more I created a Facebook group, called Casa Anne than when they came. Also, I’m hosting a lot of Casa Anne Maries Vej p. 128 map↗ artists in my house. That’s a part of opening up more organised? For example, if my house that I host artists. I think when you you were funded by Aalborg Munic- have the ability you have to do it, yes? ipality or something like that, do you think what you’re doing would : I really admire this with how you generate a different experience? open up your house. I’m curious to hear more about your relationship HBP: It is difficult to answer because I haven’t with the municipality. Do you ever get had any goal with Casa Anne Marie’s Vej - it is critical of your resources being mis- just developing itself. A philosophy student from used? Maybe it’s also just a question the university has been following the house for about knowing yourself and your a half year to research why people are coming limitations, but I’m just curious to here. What she found out is that people like hear your thoughts on this. to come here because it is cosy, because no one singular person makes the decisions and HBP: Well, I haven’t asked the municipality to help because there is a good social atmosphere me, actually I’ve asked if they need my help, so with small groups of people sitting and talking I think that’s different. I haven’t spent any money around a table. You’re not supposed to know on helping anybody in that way. Besides water, anything or to be good at anything - you can just heat, and food, but that’s it. We have a word for come here and be yourself. I think that’s why my role and that’s to be a “mom-manager”. One people like to come here. of my daughters is an artist, and often she has no money, so she uses that term for me when Scott William Raby: I just wanted to say thank you she gets support from me. So that’s what I am so much for all that you do for the community, now, a “momager” – sharing my resources, my Hanne, I think it’s really fantastic. That kind of house, and helping artists who need it. leads into my question about working in the field of art where we have limited resources : It’s a fantastic idea what you and the whole infrastructure of our field relies do and really interesting as well. on informal labor and generosity from people Do you think that by doing it in like you. My question is, I don’t know if you have the way you’re doing it, the expe- the answer, but how do we convince others to rience is different than if it was be generous and to open up in the way that you Casa Anne Maries Vej p. 130 map↗

have? What are your thoughts on this?

HBP: Well, I don’t think you can talk anybody into it. If they don’t have generosity, they don’t have it. I think I’m brought up this way, and I can remember my parents doing the same thing. My husband’s parents did the same thing too. It’s kind of a way for a family to live and you bring it into your children as well. I think the main thing is that the person who gets the most out of all this, is me.

I like supporting artists. I don’t always understand what you’re doing, and can’t always understand © Photo: Hanne Brusgaard Petersen what you’re talking about, but I can organise and I can help, so that’s what I contribute with.

: Have you felt any limitations during the lockdown? Have the activities still taken place?

The house was open from June to August, and now it is locked down again, except when we do online meetings, like this today. For now I can’t take anybody into my house because besides having Casa Anne Maries Vej, I am also head of a department at the local hospital, so I have to be very careful not bringing Corona back to my work. It’s very difficult to keep all the restrictions in your own home, so for now the house is closed. © Photo: Hanne Brusgaard Petersen Casa Anne Maries Vej p. 132 map↗

Bjarke Hermansen: Cykel20 is Aalborg’s social bicycle workshop. Here, we repair old and used bikes, sell them, and give the profits to Hjerterummet - a social hub and café for vulnerable people. Our project Cykel20 and the café are a part of Blue Cross Denmark, which means that Blue Cykel20 Cross’ values define and provide the foundation for our work.

The bikes are donated to us from private people, housing associations, and the recycling center in Aalborg. The bikes are repaired by volunteers, and since 2019, this has been done in collaboration with vulnerable young people in a partnership agreement. The project is mainly Socially Responsible Bicycle Shop supported by the Veloux Foundation until the

Østerbro 20, 9000 Aalborg end of 2021. In collaboration with the Aalborg Founded: 2015 Municipality (Jobcenter), we have also created Facebook: www.facebook.com/cykel20 an offer for this target group of young people between eighteen and thirty years old who are furthest away from education and the labour market due to various circumstances such as Date of Interview: December, 2020 addiction, mental diagnoses, social challenges, Location: Online etc. The purpose of the project is to motivate, People Involved: Bjarke Hermansen and Maj Horn create hope, and help that target group move Type of Exchange: Written correspondence on from their general vulnerability.

Additionally, we have volunteers who come primarily to repair bicycles, and use their craftsmanship skills to support the city’s vulnerable and homeless populations through the work Cykel20 p. 136 map↗ of “Hjerterummet”. The volunteers are inter- process of fixing bikes. In our project we focus nationals who have come to the city to study on gaining self-confidence and motivation for or permanent residents who want to support a better future. All profits go to “Den Sociale social work, but now there are around thirty Café – Hjerterummet” – a shelter for homeless, volunteers. We try to create a community rooted vulnerable, and lonely people. in the operation of a bicycle shop that acts socially. A place where everyone, regardless of level, can participate, contribute and learn something about bicycles.

Maj Horn: When are you open?

BH: Since we run on voluntary commitment, we have various opening hours. They can be seen on our Facebook page.

MH: How does the project relate to the history of the city and the city’s future growth?

BH: Aalborg is a well-known cycling city. We try to keep it that way, helping people reuse their old bikes and giving students and others a possibility to buy a cheap bike for a good cause.

MH: How sustainable (socially, economically and ecologically) is the project?

BH: Our concept is that we fix bikes with a high amount of reused parts, and we also sell used parts for people’s own bicycle repair projects. We also have a focus on helping people in the Cykel20 p. 138 map↗

Pia Bredow: We are a theatre for young people who are not professional actors, but who are simply interested in making theatre. The theatre itself is more than thirty years old, and we have this wonderful old house. Since I am not young, I brought some of the younger people who want Det Hem’lige Teater to talk about what we are doing here...

Jonas Dukars: Hello, my name is Jonas and I have been here for about two years. My sister, who has been here for a long time, introduced me to the place. She brought me down here to a social get-together where I had a few beers with some of the folks here. I thought that people were really friendly and I just kind of stayed Youth Theatre here since then. I have been acting here in

Kjellerupsgade 20, 9000 Aalborg three plays now. Det Hem’lige Teater is a place Founded: 1992 for amateur theatre where everyone who has Website: www.hemli.dk the time and will to do theatre can join and be a part of this house. One of the things I really enjoy about this place is the strong community. Right now because of the Coronavirus, it Date of Interview: 24 October, 2020 has been hard to do many social gatherings, Location: Det Hem’lige Teater but before that we were really enjoying each People Involved: Pia Bredow, Jonas Dukars, Christoffer other’s company. Ankersen, Maj Horn Type of Exchange: Public event Maj Horn: Who and how many are a part of the theatre?

PB: Before Corona hit, between sixty and one hundred young people came here to rehearse Det Hem’lige Teater p. 142 map↗ once or twice a week, depending on how many the next five or six months” and anyone can performances we were making. sign up for the different productions. Some of the productions we are making for example MH: It sounds like some dance performance is with music where you have to sing we have an going on right now nearby? audition because we cannot make a musical production with people who cannot sing. That PB: It is not our own production, but we also rent is just the way it is. the house out for other amateur productions, like Musikaliber, who are rehearsing right now, : There are ways to get the train- and Aalborg University Shakespeare Company, ing you need? Let’s just say I am which is always using the house. burning to be a singing theatre actor... MH: It is a house that many different kinds of theatre groups are using then? PB: Yes, you can get the training, but you have to do a little bit before you start. For instance, when PB: Yes. If one of you has a theatre group and you go to audition, if you get on the production needs a place to stay, call me! and you have to sing, you’ll get vocal training.

: An initial question we think about MH: What is the main motivating factor to be part with a lot of the places we are vis- of it – is it the dream about having a profes- iting is accessibility and how one sional acting career or to be part of the social can become a part of the organi- community here? zation. Is there a formal process or is it simply… let’s just say in a few JD: That varies from person to person and I have weeks I would like to begin my act- heard that before. This place was used by ing career, how could I join? people who wanted to become professional actors - to be the place where they could start, PB: You would have to wait because three or but my impression now is that most people four times a year we have what we call an info just want to act for the fun of it and not nec- meeting and everybody can show up and join. essarily have… They say “okay, what we are going to do for Det Hem’lige Teater p. 144 map↗

PB: Your sister for example... MH: It seems like you have a quite special role in Aalborg for the young people who want to JD: Yeah, my sister wants to become a profes- do theatre? sional actor, so there are still people who want to be professional actors, but also I think the PB: Yes, we have both the people who want to majority of people do it for the fun of acting be actors and we have the people who are for and to be a part of a community. example studying, like Jonas, who thinks it is a way to do something else - to learn something PB: It depends. I guess it is between five and ten different than what you are studying as you people every year from here who try to get into can use acting in many ways. You get a bit of the theatre school, but it is very difficult… about trauma if you go to the examinations for acting eight hundred apply and there are twenty places. school, and other people are just coming here to have fun, so it requires a balance. Christoffer Ankersen: Each year there are three open auditions, and there are MH: You said you have been here for thirty years… three acting schools in Denmark do you think the theatre will be here thirty years - the one in Copenhagen that is from now? the state school for actors, producers, directors, and technical PB: I guess so, because things are working here. staff. For the acting program line The municipality knows we are taking a lot of there are about eight to nine hun- vulnerable young people who do not neces- dred applicants and for a few years sarily want to join a sports team and we mix it has been close to a thousand it with very high-functioning people from the people who apply and ultimately university and it’s a good mix. It has improved after three tests they end up with a lot of young people who maybe had some only twenty-four people - twelve problems. However, it is not just young people males and twelve female - that’s it. with problems we have here, it is a mix and that The twenty-four people are those is working because when you start here, your who get the education, and to the problems can rest offstage when you go in to rest it’s just “better luck next year”. make theatre. Det Hem’lige Teater p. 146 map↗

JD: I have something to add to what Pia is say- PB: We are publically funded. Aalborg Municipality ing. When I started here, I had a lot of social gives us the building, the electricity, heat and anxiety, but since I have been coming to the one point five million every year for running the theatre, I have definitely become less anxious. house. People here pay five hundred DKK every That has really helped me to develop and grow year for participating, but that is mostly because as a person. they drink a lot of coffee. I am hired and getting paid to manage here, we have a scenographer PB: However, the most important thing here who is making things, and a guy who does the is to make theatre. We are not curing people. lights, someone to clean - they are all hired. The most important aspect is to do theatre, Besides them, we have directors, vocal coaches, and it works. people who write plays, and so on.

: Who decides the programming MH: Do you see the theatre as self-organised and who will have roles in the the- somehow? atrical performances? PB: Yes, in many ways. We have a structure, I am PB: It depends on what kind of performance it is, the leader and I have to make decisions, but we because if you have to sing we have an audition have a council of the actors who are selected and then there’s a director who can choose who for two year periods. I am talking with them all is in the play. If we are making a normal theatre the time about what we are going to do with the production, for example, we are going to make house plays and they organise a lot of their social A Midsummer Night’s Dream next summer in activities. Maybe you will talk about it, Jonas? Karolinelund, everyone who wants to join, can join, but it is the director who decides who is JD: We had the theme last year where it was “short going to play the leading roles. plays” and they were all written and produced by people that were using this house. We are MH: How is the theatre run at the level of the obviously pretty self-organised because of this. economy – do you ask for membership fees, do you have public funding, or are you running MH: What do you think are the biggest challenges it with private foundations? that Det Hem’lige Teater faces going forward? Det Hem’lige Teater p. 148 map↗

PB: If Aalborg Kommune did not want to pay us anymore… Maybe if the young people do not have the time to join us and think that it is not necessary to have a social community here, but I do not think that is the case...

: Do you have a specific involvement or engagement strategy for the theatre; how do people get to know about this place?

PB: It is mostly word of mouth. When people come here, maybe one of their friends are playing in a performance, they see it, and want to join. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson We have to be careful how much advertising we do, because we do not have room for more than about eighty people. It is very difficult to make a performance with ten roles and maybe twenty-five people who want to join in so we are not advertising a lot - it is a little bit of a secret...

Sanne Brocks [Reading from a prepared text]: “Dunkelfolket is a street theatre group… a part of the street, the arts. We wear wooden, hand carved masks and black clothes, which are often a little strange and worn. No skin, no hair must be seen. We do not say a word, we speak with our bodies. Dunkelfolket We come from nature, from the wood, moss, and soil out west.

We enter the city of Aalborg at springtime, celebrating the spring together with the big, old tradition of Carnival. While we walk in the parade, we interact with passerbys, shopkeepers, and spectators. We catch moments and ideas among the audience and improvise small situa- Street Theatre Group tions – funny, grotesque, frightening, surprising, • No fixed address shocking – with curiosity and love. Most often Founded: 1989 people love the mutual contact, laugh, and clap Website: dunkelfolket.dk their hands – dogs often bark.

We make “fun in the street” for example at “Aal- borg in Red”, “Open by Night”, or as a welcome Date of Interview: 24 November, 2020 to participants to a conference or seminar, as an Location: Online opening of something new, or to a private party. People Involved: Sanne Brocks, Birgitte Kloster, Maj Horn We are mostly funny, but we also show many Type of Exchange: Digital Public Gathering more aspects of human behavior. Are we political theater when we want to show how different we all are, and yet how similar we are? Some do not like us because they can’t see who we are under the masks. They ask us, “Who are you? What do you want? What is your purpose?” They Dunkelfolket p. 154 map↗ have to look and to experience, because we do places to sleep, and so on. Sometimes we are not explain it, we only do our acting. They know quite a big group, up to twenty people. The “PR us very well in Aalborg, but we perform all over section” keeps the digital platforms, Facebook, Denmark and abroad. We have been to Italy, and the contact to local newspapers and tele- Hungary, Japan, England, Greenland, Germany, vision going. We receive assistance from and China, Norway, Sweden, France, Lithuania… have cooperation with The Carnival Office in Aalborg for handling invitations and bookings. Dunkelfolket has existed since 1989, so we are more than 30 years old. The “mother” is Kirsten There is a wonderful book about Dunkelfolket Gitz-Johansen who has cut all the wooden I can recommend, written in Danish by Kirsten masks, and much more. She is now 75 years Gitz-Johansen, “Dunkelfolket fra Fosdalen”. It old and is still a member of the group. In the has a lot of photos and the history of the life of first 10 years she arranged everything. Dunkelfolket, but also about the use of masks in different cultures now, back through history, We are thirty-five to forty actors, volunteers, and about the very act of wearing a mask, and acting amateurs - old and young, men and women. with a mask. A few actors have been in Dunkelfolket from the beginning, but over the years many have Well, those are my words. Thank you so much.” left and new ones have come. Right now we actually have five new members, longing to Maj Horn: We have been talking a lot about space get the possibility to perform! Every actor can and I’m super curious to hear more about how choose to join a performance. If you can, you it is for you as a community using the streets join - if you cannot, you join next time. of Aalborg so actively. Do you have a space where you do workshops or where you meet Since 2001, we have been organised as an each other before the performances? association, where membership costs three hundred kroner per year. Apart from the board, SB: Dunkelfolket does not have its own rehearsal we have a small “artistic section” that plans room or stage. We have the streets, the market workshops and decides new plays or initiatives. squares, the parks, and the city squares. When We also have a “travel section” that arranges we do need a place to rehearse a new play for bigger trips and tours abroad, books tickets, example, we use the stage at Skydebanevej in Dunkelfolket p. 156 map↗

Aalborg West, which has a space for smaller - that is the main thing in our performances. It theater people and amateurs like us. It is a rather is a “learning by doing” experience. big black room owned by Aalborg Municipality, and we can use it for free because we are an MH: It all sounds very interesting. I was wonder- association. Sometimes, if there are not so ing if everything is improvised or if you have many, we rehearse and exercise at home with a script - how does it work? How do you organise someone from the Dunkelfolket who has a large each event? room. We don’t have our own place though, and we’ve never had one. We meet and act in the SB: Most of what we do is improvised, but we streets. For changing clothes we sometimes do have certain cues that we all rehearse and go to Huset, to a library or to a school. When know. At each event, we have chosen one we have meetings for planning and organising member who has an old horn - she is called we mostly meet privately. “The Horn”. She blows the horn and makes a signal with her hands over her head. Every : How easy is it to become a mem- signal is a special cue. All of the Dunkelfolket ber of Dunkelfolket and how do you group crowd together around her and make the select the new members? cue, standing like a football team for a photo, standing in one long line, like geese, statues, SB: If you are a young and strong man, you’ll get or a group in a big discussion... and there’s also into Dunkelfolket right away, because then, you chaos. Then we go back to improvising in the will be able to carry our big dolls. Now, most of street among the spectators. At our theatre the members of Dunkelfolket are women. I’m play “Snow White”, there’s nothing improvised. a very tall woman, and that was my entrance We have roles and it is just like any theatre play, point because I am taller than most women. except that we do not say a word! The play is I can also walk on stilts - that helped a lot. You filled with self-composed piano music that must be eager and really want to be a part of follows the actors, while the actors follow the Dunkelfolket - then you can come and try it out, music and we know what to do. The audience but it’s very nice if you have a strange figure. understands the show! If you are very round, small, or tall or have very thin or very fat legs - and dare to use them, MH: This seems to confirm the community because the body language is so important aspects of the project, actually. Do you also Dunkelfolket p. 158 map↗

see each other when you are not performing? each other to have some ambition - the prize I imagine there’s also some friendships within money helped us to achieve that. the theatre? : How has fundraising been for Birgitte Kloster: It becomes your second family you? I have this fear that you can get as I’ve been a member of the group for thirty funding once, but when your group years... almost from the beginning. This summer has been existing for so long, have we had a barbecue party in my garden, and you been getting funding regularly? sometimes we’ve taken canoe paddling tours with the group. All the members become friends BK: During several years we were funded by because we have these intense experiences Aalborg Municipality with a certain amount around the happenings and we travel together each year, but that has stopped. Sometimes we so we get to know each other very well. apply for funding for some special event, mostly something that requires travel abroad, but we : I recall that you once won a big get paid when we play and perform. People are prize as well? hiring us and normally we take ten thousand kroner for a performance but it depends on the BK: Yes, we were the first group to receive The circumstances. Over the years, we have spent Nordjysk Kulturpris, in the year 2001. It was all the money on traveling to theater festivals fantastic and very important that we got it. It around Europe. was a lot of money and allowed the group to be able to hire a professional director to instruct The Story of a Mother by H.C. Andersen and later Hamlet by Shakespeare. Suddenly we were making big progress. During Dunkelfolket’s first years we were anarchists wanting to drink beer and make fun in the streets, especially around Carnival and other big events in Aalborg, but later we became much more strict and organized. We also have grown older! We are not professionals, but we want to do what we do well and count on Dunkelfolket p. 160 map↗

Scott William Raby: f.eks. is a contemporary art platform that I initiated along with my colleague, wife, and partner Rikke Ehlers Nilsson. We started f.eks. as a reaction to different circumstances within the art world as we saw them in Denmark, but these conditions are also f.eks. present in other places. We wanted to provide an infrastructure that is difficult to find in the art world for projects that didn’t necessarily fit so well in the white cube of the gallery or the black box of the theater. If you’re not working in these contexts, but rather are engaging in the dynamics of public space and the commons, conversations that are really important between art, architecture, public space, ecological sites, Artist-Run Contemporary Art Initiative and so on can be focused on, and we wanted • No fixed address to facilitate this. Founded Date: 2018 Website: f-x.dk Our “Seinfeld pitch” to the Danish Arts Foundation was that we wanted to make an art initiative with no space that produced no objects, and we were really fortunate enough to get that initial support Date of Interview: 17 November, 2020 for which we are grateful. What this means more Location: Online practically, is that we could try to create a plat- People Involved: Scott William Raby, Maj Horn form that focused on temporary, experimental, Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering and new forms of contemporary art that could mediate between the sites and broader context of public space in the city of Aalborg.

For those of you who might not be familiar with Aalborg, it’s a post-industrial northern f.eks. p. 166 map↗

Scandinavian hub, about equally located between Maj Horn: Can you elaborate on how you see your Copenhagen, Oslo, Gothenburg and surrounded platform being self-organized? by the North Sea and the Baltic Sea on the top of continental Europe. As a former shipping, SWR: f.eks. is self-organized on multiple levels. maritime, and agricultural hub, the city has f.eks. is structured as a non-profit arts organ- a working class and industrial history - actually ization, and so myself and Rikke organize and a very rich and interesting manufacturing legacy. operate f.eks. In that way we are a very small Now the city is really, actively marketing itself artist-run organization that is literally a self-or- to transform into a post-industrial society with ganized artist-run platform. One component a knowledge based economy where the Uni- though, in which we are - more broadly, expan- versity is a driver of transformation with culture sively, or collaboratively self-organized - is that and art as a new urban identity. We wanted to because we don’t have a permanent physical start f.eks. with these different conversations space, we offer the artists a research network in mind - creating new infrastructure for art of both spatial locations, networking partners, making, while thinking about this industrial and experts in different fields (such as urban transformation process, and providing new planning, local historical knowledge, or maritime spaces and contexts in which artists can work industry expertise, etc.) in which to make their in and work with. project with or alongside. One of the objectives we do with f.eks. is to make relationships with Furthermore, we also noticed that there was different university departments, for artists a gap in terms of the art projects that were who might want to talk about different ways of currently being presented or exhibited in the working or, for example, with an issue related city and that we, as artists who are also initi- to art in public space. We also work with local ating a platform, could provide an interesting cultural organizers as well, such as Hanne perspective, duration, experimentation, and Brusgaard Petersen, who is a project supporter knowledge from our past life before we came of f.eks. She has a local organization in which to Aalborg, which was a very expensive run she opens up her house to the outside world through a lot of different European countries, for different activities, and she has supported chasing visas and educations and living in f.eks. through events and even hosting our precarious, but socially rich situations before artists. In this way we try to run the platform we settled in Denmark. itself in a self-organized fashion where having f.eks. p. 168 map↗ no space and making event based productions, come to f.eks. projects who are very much has forced us to create a large network of peo- invested in art or rather it will be a project ple and bring them together in different ways.” about ecology, and that is what attracts them. We organized a project where the artist duo : It sounds like you’re reaching Vermeir and Heiremans did a walking tour in out to a lot of people. Also, maybe an ecological site connected to the life and people that are not normally work- working processes of Asger Jorn. We organ- ing with contemporary art. Who ized a project led by Brazillian artists Luiza can participate in f.eks.’s events? Crosman and Pedro Moraes at Spritten, which is the most famous factory of Aalborg that is SWR: We try to make f.eks. events quite accessible now being turned into a multi-use real estate while still dealing with very important existential project. We had a lot of people visit who we’re issues. We try not to shy away from social, polit- just fascinated to go inside the factory because ical, critical, ecological, economical, questions the artistic process opened up that inaccessible that are really weighing heavy in contemporary space, and audiences who were interested in life, such as questions around societal inequal- architecture and the local history of the iconic ities or the urban transformation process. We factory partook in the event. ask questions about how gentrification comes into play and if goods and services are evenly We also have diverse participation because the distributed within the city. Also, a lot of our pro- conversations that the artists evoke through jects will reflect upon ecological conditions, for their works travel beyond normative art dia- example, how climate change plays into a public logues since the artists that we invite are often arts discourse. In this way we try to make events engaged with discursive practices. For example, or invite artists who use accessible forms or we encourage topics that invite people who formats - things like guided walks, boat rides, might not be so interested in art, but maybe site visits, or performative interactions in a way they’re interested in the politics of the city that can also help us reflect upon the changing and how that plays out in a particular location. context of a public space or the communities We have worked with a lot of people who are that inhabit it through extended dialogues and involved with architecture and planning in the collective experiences or actions. municipality and the university. Sometimes the Sometimes we have audiences who want to events themselves are just really interesting or f.eks. p. 170 map↗ accessible as well. We organized a project with in addition to the fact that we, like the Artist Austrian artists Lucas Heistinger and Bernhard Placement Group in the late 60s in the UK, for Garnicnig that fell into this category. Their pro- example, are trying to integrate art into places ject was an anti-gentrification campaign that and contexts where it might not normally exist, manifested itself as a sailboat cruise through so we have to spend more time meeting people, the Limfjord that ended in a ceremony with explaining the projects, and also why they are speeches and musicians to welcome the audi- important. Of course, the more projects we ence to “the new Aalborg - the first anti-art- do, the more fanfare we get, and slowly we’re washing city in the world”. We had teenagers becoming quite accepted into the fabric of the participating from the sailing club who simply city, but of course it is still challenging since we’re wanted to go sailing on a three mast ship. We always working in new contexts and locations. try to be open to anyone who’s interested and sincerely engage them as much as we can into We really don’t know how long we will exist as the conversations of the projects. f.eks., but as long as we can do the project in an interesting way, there are people interested in MH: What is the biggest challenge you face right it, there’s funding to do it, and if it is still excit- now? Do you think f.eks. still will exist in five, ing, challenging, and critical we’ll do it as long ten, or even thirty years from now? as we can. The existential problem though is always how do we raise enough funding for it. SWR: Our biggest challenge is always funding, funding, and funding. For example, It’s always : Many people in Northern Jutland tough to try to do something like your project don’t speak English that well and Mapping of the Movable because it doesn’t fit cannot understand long project nicely within the orthodoxy of the art world. It has descriptions in English. Therefore, some challenging qualities, and so we always I think sometimes you lose some spend a lot of time trying to communicate and of the local audience if the project explain what we’re doing to a general public. description is lengthy. What is more It’s also challenging because I don’t speak important to you - to do a project Danish so well. I can start a conversation in with a more intimate audience, or Danish and then I have to switch to English, to make it more popular and to get so there’s also a language and cultural barrier more people to participate? f.eks. p. 172 map↗

SWR: That’s a great question. We spend a lot Everyone who comes to an f.eks. event knows more time than you might imagine trying to we try to give them as much hospitality as connect as much as we can to as many groups possible to make the events flow well if there as we can. At the end of the day, we’d like to do are parts an audience might not understand. both. This is often why we communicate most This is why we always create events that have of our material in English, as our audience is an element of intrigue, spend a lot of time often very international and sometimes half of within events themselves making ourselves the crowd will be from abroad due to the high available for questions and dialogue, and we concentration of the public in Aalborg who are also provide free snacks, drinks, and sometimes affiliated with the university. Sometimes we meals depending on the length of the event so come up against a wall as well where we only people always feel welcome in other ways. It is have the resources to do the press release in a valid question though, but at the end of the both Danish and English, and the other texts we day, I think it comes down to my lack of skills usually keep in English, because of my position in the Danish language. Personally, it has been as an immigrant, as well as the international quite a difficult language for me to learn. character of our audience, we have to produce the thinking and creative production in English. : I don’t think it’s about speaking We do spend a lot of time to reach out to our Danish, I think it is more about how audiences in different ways though - personally one wants to communicate. If you as well through SoMe, texts, emails, and other want to do it in your own academic ways that are much simpler, shorter, easier, and language, or if you want to do it in more digestible than our full project descrip- the language of the people you want tions that might be wordier or longer. It is also to invite - those are two different important that we speak and communicate to questions. Either way, we’re always the broader field of art and cultural practitioners ready to help though. Of course, as well, but I think it’s a really good question, I accept it and think it is good you right? How can an art platform hit multiple have your special way of writing. communication trajectories, and is that goal Sometimes when I participate in always achievable? It’s a really valid question your events, it is fantastic, but we and something that we are always trying to are only 25 people, that’s my point. improve upon. I would hope that more people f.eks. p. 174 map↗

would participate because you do Hopefully the challenge is interesting, socially a lot of work and the events are necessary, and welcomed in an age of social very good. media and a general lessening of critical thinking with fewer experimental cultural formats to SWR: Thank you so much for the kind praise. experience. I think as the city continues to grow I totally understand what you’re saying, and as a culturally driven place and contemporary not to dodge the question, but I think it is not art establishes itself in Aalborg further, this will only f.eks. that is dealing with this challenge. It shift as audiences become more accustomed is a common problem in the art world with the to experiencing international and independent specialized language that is used to commu- contemporary art in the city. On the other hand, nicate an artwork to a broader audience. The we also look forward to further embedding other challenge f.eks. has to deal with, is that ourselves more locally as well. we’re not working with traditional forms and formats, so we try to provide a lot of subtext, so that if someone is curious, if they choose to do so, they can read about the project and learn more about it as it may not be something obviously understood. One can argue this isn’t as necessary for a painting or photography exhibition, since general audiences are more accustomed to the experience of viewing two dimensional works, but partaking in a durational socially engaged art experience in an unusual public setting like we might ask our audience to do can require more communicative effort. This is why we try to reach out to our audience with more textual material. We do try to make our projects accessible, but I think it is also important to allow art to be a space for challenging questions, critical content, and a depth of thinking that might not always be easy as well. f.eks. p. 176 map↗

“From Industry City to Leisure City” by Luiza Crosman and Pedro Moraes. “Destination Aalborg” by Piscine. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson

“7 Walks: From Albisola to Læsø” a public discussion by Vermeir & Heiremans and Luke “Alternative Limfjord Ecologies” by Scott William Raby. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson Mason, arranged by f.eks. and Nordoplyst. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson f.eks. p. 178 map↗

“Alternative Limfjord Ecologies” by Scott William Raby. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson “Alternative Limfjord Ecologies” by Scott William Raby. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson

“Alternative Limfjord Ecologies” by Scott William Raby. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson “AAAA” by Lukas Heistinger and Bernhard Garnicnig. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson f.eks. p. 180 map↗

Ecologies, Infrastructure, Commons (a transaction)” by Scott William Raby. “7 Walks: From Albisola to Læsø” a public discussion by Vermeir & Heiremans and Luke Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson Mason, arranged by f.eks. and Nordoplyst. © Photo: Niels Fabæk

“AAAA” by Lukas Heistinger and Bernhard Garnicnig. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson “AAAA” by Lukas Heistinger and Bernhard Garnicnig. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson Huset p. 182 map↗

Nikolaj Legaard: Huset is the first culture house that Aalborg opened back in the 1970s. It was very closely connected to the University at that time. It was part of a national movement in the bigger cities, where the university students started to live in their own apartments and they needed Huset a place where they could go and make culture from the ground up on their own terms.

The building was originally a poor people’s home built in 1911, and it closed down in the 1960s. The students were given the house and told that they could settle down, renovate it, and start making culture here. In the late 1970s, the municipality came and changed the locks, Culture House and Music Venue therefore taking over. That split the users of Hasserisgade 10, 9000 Aalborg Huset in two groups: the ones who would fight Founded: 1978 to keep the place, and the ones who would Website: huset.dk leave and create a new place, which resulted in the establishment of 1000Fryd. I am not really super knowledgeable about the timeline, but sometime in the early 1980s the municipality Date of Interview: 25 October, 2020 stepped back, and Huset was made into a self- Location: Huset owned institution and has been that way ever People Involved: Nikolaj Legaard, since, with very little interference from, but Maj Horn (moderator) still a close collaboration with the municipality. Type of Exchange: Public event As Huset looks today, we have a café, a gallery (which is temporarily closed, but will re-open as a new contemporary art space in 2021), clay and ceramic workshop spaces, a music venue, Huset p. 184 map↗ art studios, rehearsal rooms, Aalborg Carnival we have fifteen employees and a hierarchical has a space here, and there are meeting rooms. structure. We have a leader, Michael, who is the Also, it is very important for us to keep the one who takes the final decisions, but he has history and identity of the building. When we very little to do with the decision making in the renovate, we try to keep the original building, individual workshops as that is very self-organ- windows, doors, and rooms. Right now we are ised. Most of the users would agree that you applying for money to build a new artist-in-res- are mostly in charge of your own part. idency space and new rehearsal rooms. Huset is always in the process of renewing itself. There : It was just very nice that you are always new activities coming and going. We started giving the history of the have just closed the media-workshop that ran place in the 1970s, because it for 20 years. Almost everyone has laptops at reflects on the role of Huset today home so it lost its relevance, so the space just by mentioning the setting up of moves on in a different form. Four years ago, Huset in relation to a student driven we started to develop the outside areas more. movement. At that time Huset was We have made community gardens, a small legalized by an urgency to change outdoor café, outdoor clay burning in fire pits, things, to set up an alternative pub- a music playground, and more. lic, and so on. What happens to an institution when it becomes part of : What is the level of self-organ- the established infrastructure of isation in the house? I know you a city? What is gained by that and have volunteers, but how big a role what is lost in the process? do they play in the activities that are happening? NL: A place like Huset to some extent becomes moulded by the municipality, because they are NL: Volunteers play quite a big part, especially the ones who decide what they give money at the ceramic workshops. We don’t call them to, and that will always have an effect on what volunteers, but rather super-users of Huset. we can do. Of course we are always out there They are here so much, and take part in the fighting for what we think people need, because workshops so they are always a part of deciding we are the ones who are in contact with all the and developing what is going on. Apart from that, users. In the end, what really decides what is Huset p. 186 map↗ going on here, is that there is an economy for but I am not young and I am not things to happen. Since we are largely based a student. Coming back to Aalborg, on having employees and money for projects, I ask myself what is here for me we want to be a place with open doors where at Huset? I see I can go here for people don’t have to pay to use the place. coffee, but can I do more?

: I am curious about Huset’s NL: Whenever we describe our activities or do broader economic and social rela- applications we never mention any age-groups. tions. Does Huset have an active We have the broadest spectrum of different agenda to work with marginalized ages here I can think of, at least of the cultural groups or to be engaged in different houses that I attend. When I moved to Aalborg social issues? ten years ago, Huset was only for the elderly, but that has really changed! I think today Huset NL: The leadership we have right now works a lot is really good and welcoming for all - no matter with marginalized groups and topics such as how old you are. the climate crisis we are facing. We are also part of Kulturhuse i Danmark (the national society of Danish cultural centres), which also has its own social agendas. We have tried our best to invite young marginalised people or people with mental illnesses to be part of various things, like to sing in a choir or use the workshops. We gave half of the community gardens to “Danish Refugee Help” for them to use, but that kind of died out because they needed more space so they found another place to be. Whatever we do, it is never from an economic perspective, it is always from a social or cultural perspective.

: Aalborg is very much promoting itself as a young university city, Huset p. 188 map↗

Concert with Tadas Pasaravičius and Kenneth Dahl Knudsen. Concert with Kalaha. © Photo: Nikolaj Legaard © Photo: Tonny Rosenørn Huset p. 192 map↗

Concert with Analogik at Northern Winterbeat Festival, arranged by 1000Fryd, © Photo: Huset Studenterhuset and Huset. © Photo: Rafael Zajac klaverstemmeren p. 196 map↗

Mette Møller: My father is a piano tuner, and so I became a piano tuner as well. We have a family shop where we repair and make pianos playa- ble again, and we sell them – it’s totally about recycling and craftsmanship. The piano is the most beautiful instrument. My father has always Klaverstemmeren tried to help the musicians here and with him raising me with that philosophy, I’ve also started doing different things in our shop. It’s not only a shop, it is more of a melting pot for different musicians. The whole idea was to actually rent out the room to have the musicians, whether it was opera singers, big band jazz, or classical pianists, to rehearse for a whole weekend. We’ve always done that, and then the free space in Shop and Concert Venue which these different musicians would meet Danmarksgade 28, 9000 Aalborg each other and listen to each other has really Founded: 1983 created a wonderful bonus in the cultural life Website: www.klaverstemmeren.dk here. Also, we know so many places since I tune pianos almost everywhere in Northern Jutland, so I have an eye on people that I think are truly remarkable and there are many, many Date of Interview: 24 November, 2020 remarkable people here. Location: Online People Involved: Mette Møller, Maj Horn, For my own interest, I have made street pianos Scott William Raby and have worked for instance with the amazing Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering Aalborg based street artist Frida Stiil Vium. We made some incredibly beautiful street pianos and they were placed around public spaces in Aalborg and anyone could play them. I have also joined an international piano celebration which klaverstemmeren p. 198 map↗ takes place annually. Our group is called Piano the stringing, the woodwork, and we store our Day Aalborg. It is a lot of fun, and it’s Aalborg piano tools and equipment. Then in the front we Municipality’s Culture Fund that supports us for have an L-shaped shop where you can see the this event. We try to take this very traditional pianos and play - that’s the really important part. instrument and make it really goofy, strange, That’s how the store looks - it’s nothing fancy. and I hope that people will be shaken a little bit. I have been lucky that I know so many dif- Scott William Raby: On the one hand, you’re trying ferent people around Northern Jutland so the to run a business where you repair and sell opportunity to think about which people would pianos and on the other hand, you’re also trying be wonderful to put together in a concert and to develop a community for musicians, a place organise it is great. where they can play. I’m wondering if you could describe some of the challenges or contradic- Furthermore, I have made some jazz concerts tions of both trying to run a business where at home, which are called ”Hos Ina”. We have you have to make a profit, but then also trying jazz musicians and some classical musicians in to engage with a community of musicians. Do different homes where people can buy a ticket you see these two things at odds with each and enjoy these musicians really close up. other where you have to balance the different interests, or do they inform each other? Maj Horn: Where is Klaverstemmeren physically located? Does it look like a regular music shop? MM: They really go amazingly well together - selling pianos is all about passion. What is MM: The shop is located in the center of Aalborg. amazing for us is that we get to meet many We’ve always wanted to make an accessible different people; from the young child that just place, because if you go abroad and look around began to play piano, all the way up to the top some piano shops, they can be very fancy. You professional musicians, as well as the local would want to put on nice clothes before you music environment right now in Aalborg, which go in, and that was never the meaning for us. is very international. In many ways, the goal is We really wanted people to walk in from the to improve and make amazing collaborations street, play music, or ask questions. Now we and adventures here. I really think it’s great the are in a smaller place, so it’s a little bit crowded. way you meet someone when you have to tune We have a room in the back where we do all a piano and you have an idea or they have an klaverstemmeren p. 200 map↗ idea. It’s not only us that go around and select funding. Here in Klaverstemmeren, it’s definitely people. It’s definitely also the musicians that just a process of figuring it out, and we have will come back to me and say “hey, I have this a collaboration with Jazzselskabet Aalborg for wonderful idea - do you wanna do this?” In many jazz concerts. They charge a small fee if you ways we - my dad and I - sometimes feel like want to come, but not much. It’s never been the the octopus since we have many “arms” and intention that we wanted to do something fancy. talk with many musicians, so it’s wonderful to bring people together. MH: In regards to what you mentioned about the street pianos, is that an instrument you make, : Prior to the Covid-19 lock down, or is that also something where you organise how did you organize the concerts? performances? Was it free, and if not, how much did a ticket cost? Who was invited? MM: Street pianos exist all around the world. They are instruments just standing around, and MM: Some of the concerts we had in the big- then some amazing graffiti painter or another ger shop were private. Sometimes it was just painter would, for example, come by and paint a pianist inviting their friends, and other times it purple to liven it up. I think Frida Stiil Vium it would be a whole big band and then we would made a dragon on hers, and we had one street have some form of payment, but it always goes piano that was just covered in feathers and to the artist - it is just much easier since we’re ballet shoes. We wanted to make some street not in it to turn a profit. We buy some red wine pianos, put wheels under them so you could and some beer, and we have some snacks, so push them out, and we did that in front of The it’s very low tech - just a practical gesture of Aalborg Main Public Library. There was a piano moving around the pianos - that’s what makes being pushed out every morning and there was it special. It’s a down to earth experience and it a guy, who before he would start work around gives a freedom for the musician to play. 10:00 o’clock, he would go sit down at the piano. People would come out on the balconies from With the Piano Day Aalborg event it’s a bigger the nearby apartments with a cup of coffee, and deal, because we have a larger economy and he would play and they would watch and listen. we are looking for more expensive events to Again, it’s about doing “that quirky thing around make when we’re applying for different types of the corner” where you never know what you will klaverstemmeren p. 202 map↗ encounter. That was really the intention with the will come out stronger. As for my own business, street pianos. It was really fun that summer as I don’t know. Weirdly enough people are not that I think we had eight or nine pianos in different keen to buy a piano when there’s a pandemic, public spaces in Aalborg. so I’ll wait and see. I can do some repair in the shop and tune some pianos - I’ll have to see SWR: You mentioned something important that what happens as it is such a specialized craft I just wanted to ask about and I think it relates being a piano tuner. When society begins to to all of us, which of course is the coronavirus. open up again, I’m really interested to see what How do you think the coronavirus has chal- crazy ideas people have been thinking about lenged your business and the organization and holding back on when we’re able to do in the community that you create around the concerts and music again. concerts in your shop? How does that make you think about the broader future of your business MH: Many of the self-organised places in Aal- and your organization? borg are in one way or another supported by the municipality. Does Klaverstemmeren have MM: With the entire community’s support here any relationship to the municipality? we have always been doing well in Aalborg. I actually think we have a compassionate com- MM: No, as I really try to keep them separated, petition where there is a spirit that the whole because all of the music and cultural events community does well. People want to make it that we do are just for fun. Even though it takes good for everyone here. I don’t think it’s been a lot of work, it’s just for fun, so we really want overly competitive earlier, but right now I hear to keep it separated from the municipality. a lot about fairness. Many musicians that I talk with, they know that after a certain amount of concerts, they will stop performing to give space for someone else, because it’s difficult to get gigs right now. Since we know each other so well, have worked together, and respect each other, I think in the future, with this communication and desire to want to do something with each other, if we continue down this artistic path, I think we klaverstemmeren p. 204 map↗

Concert at Nordkraft, arranged by Piano Day Aalborg. © Photo: Klaverstemmeren © Photo: Lucas Illianes klaverstemmeren p. 206 map↗

Kamilla Mez: Nordoplyst is a very young platform with the core consisting of three people: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson, Sofie Zehngraff and myself, Kamilla Mez. Rikke and I are visual artists and Sofie is studying at the Kunstpionererne program at Kunsthal Nord and is running a podcast Nordoplyst platform called Syssel.

Nordoplyst started about a year ago, because we saw a possibility to create a new local discursive platform for contemporary art that engages younger artists in the region. It consists of discussion based events and workshops for and around contemporary art in Northern Jutland.

Contemporary Art Initiative We decided that we would like to create these • No fixed address conversation workshops in Northern Jutland in Founded: 2020 order to create new meetings and transparency Instagram: www.instagram.com/nordoplyst/ around some of the ongoing art projects that are already happening in the region, but also feed into the local (art) history in Northern Jutland. We think it’s important to consider these things Date of Interview: 17 November, 2020 when wanting to educate young artists or cul- Location: Online tural workers, since it is important to know what People Involved: Kamilla Mez, Maj Horn, is already going on in that particular context. Scott William Raby Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering For our first event, we wanted to discuss the current problems, but also the ways to improve juried exhibitions in Denmark. We invited one of the administrators at Kunstnernes Påske- udstilling (KP) - a juried exhibition platform Nordoplyst p. 210 map↗ at Kunsthal Aarhus, and we also invited Pia an “interaction” or “meeting” between young Möller-Light, who is a board member at the artists and platforms while sharing knowledge Nordkraft Udstillingen. I was also speaking of some of the practices that are happening because that year I was accepted into one of already in Northern Jutland? We decided another these exhibitions for the first time. Therefore, way to convey this knowledge was to create this created a transparent format to discuss the small art pamphlets that would be sent home politics of entering the professional Danish art to people’s houses so they can take them along scene as a young, emerging artist. At the next when they are out walking. For example we event, Critical Picnic, we hosted The Aalborg produced a pamphlet for Nordoplyst, which is Artist’s Association (AAAA) at the gallery in called “A Selected Guide to Artist-run Platforms Huset i Hasserisgade in Aalborg. There, three in Northern Jutland.” This one also creates an AAAA members presented the activities of the overview of interesting art spaces, platforms, platform and unveiled their first political mani- and organizations already existing and about festo for the art scene in Aalborg in relation to to start up in Northern Jutland. It’s like a guide creating better working conditions for artists for people who are interested in local contem- in the city. At the last event, we did a collabo- porary art. ration with the exhibition platform f.eks. and the artist duo, Vermeir & Heiremans, who were Right now we are working on new publications very interested in Asger Jorn’s political and and more indirect mediums, instead of facilitating activistic practices. We ended up travelling physical meetings because corona is still a reality. to the Asger Jorn Museum in Silkeborg on an elaborate excursion to multiple sites related Regarding self-organisation and origins, I was to Asger Jorn’s practice, work, and his expe- actually thinking about how it started. It started riences in Silkeborg that had a lasting impact because we saw this lack of transparency and on his artistic trajectory. interest for young artists and art in Northern Jutland. We haven’t really thought so much Then corona hit Denmark and suddenly it was about our platform or the organization behind not possible for us to create these sorts of it up to this point. It’s not something we have physical meetings with group conversations, so considered should be more inclusive, we are we discussed how we can facilitate meetings just organizing events for others to meet and differently. The question was - how can we create to share knowledge with each other. Nordoplyst p. 212 map↗

Maj Horn: Will you elaborate on that - is your plat- Scott William Raby: You said something interesting, form only for visual art or for all cultural genres? Kamilla, about focusing specifically on art as Who is invited to be a part of it? a reaction to policy, because I think this is important in Northern Denmark. One of the things that KM: For now, we have been focusing on contem- a lot of contemporary visual artists have had to porary art practices and platforms in Northern argue for or try to situate themselves within the Jutland, and I don’t think that we have been much region is simply that they exist, and that they engaged in other fields. We have mostly been are valuable in relationship to a broader cultural curious about visual arts, because we are all policy. It reminded me of this ongoing dialogue engaged in contemporary visual art in some way. that relates to a lot of cultural self-organization from artists. It is more of a comment, but I think : Is the platform for artists to Nordoplyst highlights the important aspects about meet, or is it a way for artists to self-organisation in the region and in the city. promote their work? KM: Absolutely, I also think it’s true, and I actually KM: These aims go hand in hand in the sense think that Nordoplyst also comes from that that we’re organising events for young artists philosophy to share our experiences. This is and people in general who are interested in art especially obvious in the newest publication and culture. Of course, it is also a promoting that we did, because it reflects this need. Also, moment for these artists to show themselves. there is a need for creating transparency and Nordoplyst is a nomadic platform, which means creating meetings between institutions, organ- we don’t have a permanent space to be in, but isations and artists. Also, for our own sake it is we organise the events at different venues or important to meet artists and platforms that are platforms and invite other organisations, artists outside Aalborg within the broader region. This or art practices into these contexts. These events helps create more communication between the usually create a PR moment for the institution that platforms that are already here. it is happening at, but also for the organization or artists that are there talking about something SWR: In terms of organizational roles in pro- that may be related to the institution but from fessionalizing oneself as an artist - this also a new or different perspective. seems like a very important aspect as well in what you’re doing. Nordoplyst p. 214 map↗

KM: Professionalisation is definitely important for of need for transparency. Hopefully, it will have Nordoplyst. For example, I know that in Aalborg been discussed further, and transparency has there is Billedkunstnerisk Grundkursus (BGK) improved, so that the policy has also hopefully which is a preparatory school for young artists changed in a positive direction within the local if they want to apply to design, architecture or art scene. the art academies. Sometimes I wonder “is Nordoplyst doing what is also supposed to be happening at these preparatory schools?” At the same time, I think that Nordoplyst is important because we are reaching out to platforms outside of Aalborg to show that there are valuable practices outside of the larger cities in the region.

MH: Do you see Nordoplyst having a time frame? Do you think it will exist on a long-term basis, let’s say thirty years from now?

KM: That’s a good question. We started this platform because we received a regional grant from Talentlaboratoriet. Now we have been seeking other grants to continue to develop new projects since we couldn’t host or facilitate many due to corona. I don’t know if we are going to exist after even five years - it’s a really good question. I actually don’t know how to answer, as this is not something I have considered. Originally, we were just mapping out other platforms and organizations and wished to create transparency within the field, so I don’t know if in thirty years there is this same kind Nordoplyst p. 216 map↗

“Critical Picnic” with Sandro Masai & Ann Mai Lunde. “A Selected Guide to Artist-run Platforms in Northern Jutland”. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson

“A Selected Guide to Artist-run Platforms in Northern Jutland”. “A Selected Guide to Artist-run Platforms in Northern Jutland”. © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson © Photo: Rikke Ehlers Nilsson Nordoplyst p. 218 map↗

“7 Walks: From Albisola to Læsø” a public discussion by Vermeir & Heiremans and Luke “7 Walks: From Albisola to Læsø” a public discussion by Vermeir & Heiremans and Luke Mason, arranged by f.eks. and Nordoplyst. © Photo: Niels Fabæk Mason, arranged by f.eks. and Nordoplyst. © Photo: Niels Fabæk

“7 Walks: From Albisola to Læsø” a public discussion by Vermeir & Heiremans and Luke Mason, arranged by f.eks. and Nordoplyst. © Photo: Niels Fabæk Råt&Godt p. 220 map↗

Christian Helweg: My name is Christian and I’m the founder of Råt&Godt, or Raw & Good in Eng- lish, but of course it sounds better in Danish (since it rhymes). We are a responsible company making furniture from recycled materials, a creative house for arts and crafts, as well as Råt&Godt a helping organization for troubled and young adults having difficulties getting an education or a job. We have both an indoor and outdoor exhibition and workshop space with free areas to make whatever you like from recycled materials. It’s also a cultural place where all kinds of people get together since we’re a pretty big house at nearly 4.500 square meters.

Socio-Economic Company Maj Horn: Where in Aalborg is Råt&Godt located Hjulmagervej 58, 9000 Aalborg and how is the physical space? Founded: 2015 Website: raatoggodt.dk CH: We are based in an old train garage, or depot. There is an area where you can relax in front of a fireplace while other people are making paintings. There is a big workshop space Date of Interview: 24 November, 2020 where we are making cabinets, tables, chairs, Location: Online benches, and much more. It is all made from People Involved: Christian Helweg, Maj Horn, recycled materials and we sell the furniture to Scott William Raby both private people and companies such as Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering cafés or kindergartens. In another area, called Urban City, we do different cultural things, such as concerts. Tonight we will have a concert with local singer-songwriters. There are also workshop spaces for entrepreneurs who are Råt&Godt p. 222 map↗ renting a space where they can create and sell involved? Also, you have an amazing space - I’m their arts, crafts, or other goods. You can start curious to know how did you get it? Do you get here with a small business, work your way up, support from the municipality? and maybe move on to a bigger opportunity in the future. We also have a protected workshop CH: The youth involved here are sent by the space for the young, troubled kids that are municipality. If you are on welfare, you need to trying to find their way in life. We help them to participate in some activities, and this is one get a job or start an education and they are of the programs they can choose to participate invited to be creative down here together with in. It is a private project that offers the munic- us. Meanwhile, we are teaching them all differ- ipality an option, so youth are sent here by the ent types of important things about working, municipality and we get funding from them. learning, and how to live a good life. In the beginning, I rented only a part of the MH: When, how, and why did you start the project? space that was about three hundred twenty square meters. After two years, the man who CH: It began in 2015, because I wanted to start owns the building told me that I had to move my own place, but I initially didn’t know what or otherwise rent the whole building, which is to work with. I studied entrepreneurship and 4.500 square meters. I didn’t want to move, so while I was in school, I got this place. I found out I just took the decision to rent it all, but I needed that some of the local troubled kids needed an to find out how to pay for the enormous cost. extra hand to find their way in life, so I wrote this I decided to split the building up and rented down into a business plan about how I thought some of the space out to other entrepreneurs. these two things could co-exist. One day after After a few years, I took over more and more of the other it grew, and now, five years later, there the building and expanded my own business - are sixty young adults in the eighteen to thirty now I’m renting all of it. year old age range in the project and there are fifteen employees. MH: How do you see it as a community now that so many are working there? Do you take all Scott William Raby: How can one become involved the decisions, or do you have meetings where in Råt&Godt; can you just come by, or do you things are collectively discussed? How is the have to make an application - how does one get decision making process? Råt&Godt p. 224 map↗

in a bureaucracy or a collective. There’s a very CH: Every morning before work begins, we meet close gap between thinking and doing. That is together so the young people know the tasks and especially important when working with young the next steps for the day. At the end of the day we people, so I can more easily meet their needs. also finish up together. We have a staff meeting The challenge is that everything is on my shoul- every month like a normal business, but I am the ders, but I’m just doing whatever I think is the decision maker, and the one on the target so to right thing to do, and I’ll keep on doing that. Up speak. With that said, we communicate a lot and until this point it’s been a very good process. I’m sharing the responsibilities with a lot of the others. All of us are here because we really want MH: Do you have any current challenges? to be here and it’s a good working environment. CH: We have a housing contact that ends soon MH: It seems like you have a close connection with and then we’ll need to discuss it with the owner the municipality, and you’re working a lot together of the building. He wants to take the building with them since they support your project. down and we’re fighting against that right now. For him the place is a money machine, because CH: The municipality is indeed both a customer it is a nice space with a central location, but we and a collaborator – we are on the same team. are fighting to save the place, since it is very We try to help each other, but we also try to unique. Of course I want to keep on doing what make commitments and collaborations with I’m doing down here, but it is also about saving other companies. It’s very important for us to this old historical building. It is from 1901, so be positive, to make a good impression, and about 120 years old, and it will be a shame to tear help the community. it down. Hopefully the municipality is going to help us save it. They have said that they wanted : How is it beneficial being a pri- to back me up, but since I don’t have it in writing vate organisation? yet, I don’t trust it until I see it. Usually they are very supportive though, and if they’re closing CH: The benefit is that if I make a decision on this business down, they’re also making the lives something, I can do it right away and will not of many people difficult. So it’s not only about have to wait multiple weeks to get permis- my business, it is also about taking care of the sion from another leader somewhere as it is society and the people who need us. Råt&Godt p. 226 map↗

Christian Nørgaard: TRoA is a role playing association that has existed for more than 30 years. We do various activities around imagining you are someone else, or that you are in a different situation that you are normally a part of in your daily life. It can take the form of conversations TRoA around a table, playing board games, simulating battles with miniatures, or the most well-known scenario, dressing up and running into the forest with swords hitting each other and shooting at each other with paintball guns. It is about being creative, trying out new things, and just having fun. We are roughly around two hundred fifty to three hundred members.

Role Play Association One of our core ideas is that those who volun- Godthåbsgade 8A, 9400 Nørresundby teer and take action are the decision makers. Founded: 1989 In TRoA, if you have a good idea you don’t really Website: troa.dk need a lot of approval. I’m part of the board and if people have new ideas that come to us and say “I want to try this crazy thing” we say “OK, here’s a few suggestions, but you go ahead Date of Interview: 17 November, 2020 and try it out”. Location: Online People Involved: Christian Nørgaard, Maj Horn My role is more to do the boring things - to make Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering sure the rent is paid and other stuff like that. We basically try to encourage people to pitch ideas for things to do here, we try it out and see if it works. Then the board tries to take a step back and support the users and their activities. You don’t really need to be a member for a long TRoA p. 232 map↗ time in order to be allowed to do something, as as we still want them to be part of the bigger long as you just have the drive to do so. That organisation. strategy has allowed us to develop many new activities, where some of them become really One of the new things we do is that we try to popular while other things die out fast. This is be more involved in Aalborg’s broader commu- one of the most important things that we are nity. We are doing cooperations with cultural sort of satisfied with is that we can experiment. institutions like libraries and museums. On We started out being sort of fractured where Halloween a few weeks ago, we had people depending on what activity you did, you were dressed up like characters from stories that part of a particular group. We’ve spent ten years could spook and scare people. We want to do or so trying to get away from that. Today we are more of that so we are not just by ourselves, all part of TRoA. It doesn’t really matter what but are trying to be part of the community, and you do when you enter the door. You can do I think there’s a future in that for us. everything, and that really helps the members to get more involved and to talk to others. We’re Maj Horn: Can you tell us where TRoA is located? really happy about that since it makes everyone What does the space look like and how is the more equal and we share ideas in different atmosphere of the place? ways. Also, anyone can share their ideas. You don’t really need any qualifications nor do you CN: We are based in an old school (building), have to prove something in order for us to lis- a two story building with two levels. When you ten. I think that also draws in slightly different enter, there is a long hall and a lot of rooms. If people compared with sports clubs like football you’re part of TRoA already, you will often have that are more competitive. We appeal to slightly agreed to meet with a smaller group that could different kinds of people. I’m not saying that be five to ten people. Then you say, “let’s meet people who play sports can’t take part here, on Tuesday at eight o’clock” for instance, and but we see other people here then you would then you would all meet up there. You would see in more common or familiar organisations. go into a room that you have reserved and you We try to facilitate some sort of (direction) from can play a board game, do role playing games, higher up and then people can form ideas or whatever related activities you want to do. and start subgroups. For us it’s important that the subgroup doesn’t become its own entity, MH: You said that TRoA also has some activities TRoA p. 234 map↗

that are quite popular and some activities that you think that’s fair to say? Do you are less popular. What are the different activities? have many different age groups of people? Who gets the most amount CN: Once a month we go to a place in the for- of interest or usage within TRoA? est where around two hundred fifty kids in the age range ten to twenty five years old show CN: If we say there’s a group from ten to maybe up dressed as warriors, magicians, or fantasy twenty years old, they would usually be in the creatures. Then there’s a game in this forest forest dressed up fighting monsters. Then the for seven or eight hours running around in the members over twenty years old – mostly around forest fighting monsters. We, the grown ups, twenty to forty years old - would probably do all provide the “monsters”, and then the kids go the activities indoors. Currently, it’s very popular and find them in groups. They would say, “ohh, to paint miniature figures, move them around on there is a dangerous monster, let’s fight it” – or a board and then simulate battles, and we have run away, depending on how brave they are. different social activities around that. I would This is a pretty popular activity. probably say half of our members are children and the other half are adults. There’s not really To give an example about some of the new anything that prevents anyone from being an things we’ve tried a year or two ago, we had adult in the children’s games or the other way someone who wanted to do a post-apocalyptic around - it’s very fluid. The kids prefer to be game. They found a place outside and they with other kids though, so it’s easier for adults started a game where we said the world has to help out with the children’s activities then exploded because of nuclear bombs, and so for children to go into the more adult activities on. Everyone was a survivor trying to make it because they might feel alone or scared. out alive. I think that played out for half a year and then it died out for various reasons. We try MH: You said the project has it existed for 30 out things, and sometimes people say this is years - can you tell us how it started? Also, fun and they sign up, and other times they say what are the current challenges TRoA faces? “this is not so interesting”. CN: Initially it started with four people. Basically, : It seems like focusing on children they met at the library, role playing and talking is a big part of your organisation. Do together, and then they said, “OK, let’s meet TRoA p. 236 map↗ together and let’s make it a thing.” It actually : It sounds really interesting what started with the library lending us some space you’re saying, but I still don’t get to do that, then we moved into a public building what you’re doing out in that for- and it has grown from there. Over the years, est. Isn’t it dangerous to teach the there’s been more of these roleplay associa- children to be violent? Can you tions in Aalborg that have merged into TRoA. elaborate on this? In regards to the challenges, we are in a situation where we have a lot of experience with CN: The game in the forest is centred around how to do things, so we don’t really have a lot of a town. When we play this game, there’s a house challenges. We are more in the position where in the forest and that’s the town. When you we help others to start similar organisations. come to play you can decide if you want to be We see others starting something similar and a town person, and you can trade goods, for they might not know exactly what they are example, as a wise woman collecting herbs doing. One challenge we have had is that some and mushrooms in the forest, and selling them people don’t understand what we’re doing. at the market. That’s one activity you can do. Most people understand what it means if we Some people come initially because they want were to say we would like to play football, can to fight, but as they get older that can change. we do that somewhere, most people can relate Then there’s a political game about who’s the to that, but it can be hard for people doing our mayor in the city. We allow the people to decide role play activities to explain what it is and why who should be mayor and who’s allowed to vote. it makes sense. Is it, for example, only the property owners that can vote? To some extent, we allow the players One barrier we do have is to create a more to decide that themselves, and then we sup- diverse group, since most of the current TRoA port the process. As they stay and play, they users are of Western European middle class learn other aspects of role playing games as backgrounds. We have almost no one from Asia, well, so It’s not only about fighting. There are Africa, or elsewhere. Also, we don’t really have also monsters out there that are “dangerous”. any really poor or really rich people. There are One child alone won’t be able to do something different cultures that our activities currently against this “monster”, so they need to find aren’t reaching, or don’t really appeal to, so others that they can cooperate with and agree, that’s something we’re looking into changing. “do we dare to fight this monster or should we TRoA p. 238 map↗ run away?” It’s also figuring out how to survive. really had a lot of conflict, but for instance, being I don’t feel violence is an issue, but I understand allowed to play in the forest, that’s something your question. we need permission for, and they support us with this as well. I think without their support : One of the interesting things we wouldn’t be where we are today. If I compare that I gathered is that you’re head- us to other role play associations in the rest of quartered in an old school building, Denmark, some are jealous of us because we and what I wanted to ask is the are in Aalborg. It feels like our municipality is role that the municipality plays in more supportive than other places - there’s easy your project; if they gave you the access to funding, more support, and more space or if they gave you funding, understanding. and what your relationship with the municipality is like in general? : I was very interested when I heard you say that you consider CN: Overall we have an amazing cooperation your association to be non-political with the municipality. When we started they and I was wondering, why? What provided us with some rooms, then later we you mentioned about the games found a private place that we rented where the the kids are playing seems very municipality covered sixty to seventy percent of political, about who governs whom, our rent, since we’re also focusing on children. and so on. Then five or six years ago we spoke with the municipality and they said it was a bit costly for CN: Politics is important and we also support them to support us in this way and they wanted political discussions and so on, but we don’t us to move into one of the buildings that they want to associate with one of the political par- own. The rent would more or less be the same ties. That’s what I meant. I think at the last for us and we got more rooms. Instead of the election there was some members that said, money going into private pockets, it would stay let’s arrange that we watch this together, and within the municipality, and that made a lot of then we had a debate about voting on whether sense. So we moved to this school building and we should do so. What we did in that case was they helped us restore it - I think we had really we said, “OK, we want to make sure that we good teamwork in that process. We haven’t had a sort of political balance so it wasn’t just TRoA p. 240 map↗ people from one side of the political spectrum organising this.” We try to be independent of political parties or political ideologies, but we do encourage political discussions and also people learning about democracy.

: Is someone dedicated full-time to TRoA or do you all do this out of love in your free time?

CN: Yes, it’s in our free time. We have one employee to do the accounting because we feel that is too much of a burden to put on one volunteer. So we do have one part time employee to help out with that. Instead we try to reward in other ways. For example, the people that have contributed the most every year get to go on a trip to a nice place for a weekend to a vacation house or something similar. Then we’ll talk about what we’ve done during the year and have a social activity. That replaces paying people, except the person doing the finances. We are equally worthy and no one is better than anyone else.

Sandro Masai: My name is Sandro Masai and I’m a multimedia artist from Brazil. I live in Aalborg and I’m a producer in Projekt Vækstlag 9000, with two other producers - Alberte Husted Echers and Nina Rose Marvardsen. We create events for young people interested in the arts, Projekt Vækstlag 9000 as the name already suggests. The project is based in Aalborg, but there are some changes coming soon as we plan to do work in the whole of Northern Jutland in the future. We started the project in December 2018, so it has been going for about two years now.

Basically, we produce two different types of events called Cross-art Live and OnStage. Youth Performing Arts Platform Cross-art Live is where we invite four artists • No fixed address or four different artistic expressions and we Founded: 2018 put them on stage to improvise for one hour. Website: www.facebook.com/projektvaekstlag9000 The other format is OnStage, where we invite three young artists for the evening and we give them 20 minutes to present their own projects. The base of our work is in the performing arts Date of Interview: 24 November, 2020 (theater, dance, improvisation, performance, Location: Online etc.), but we don’t stop there as we have had People Involved: Sandro Masai, Maj Horn, visual artists such as painters on stage as well. Scott William Raby Type of Exchange: Digital public gathering Maj Horn: Can you tell a bit about how you see the project as a community; who is involved, who is included, and how can one be a part of it?

SM: We, the producers, are three local artists, and Projekt Vækstlag 9000 p. 248 map↗ we use our own networks, since we come from Det Hem’lige Teater, among others. different platforms. Before we started Project Vækstlag 9000, I was already doing contact Further, we have attended some Talentlabora- improvisation dance in Teater Nordkraft and torium seminars with other small communities Stine Thorsen, who is not part of the group now, from the broader Northern Jutland region and but was in the beginning, she was playing and many people are very excited and inspired about directing theatre with young people in UngAal- our projects, so we were invited to collaborate borg. Therefore, we started as a collaboration with other municipalities. This year, we were between Teater Nordkraft and UngAalborg. As just about to go out of Aalborg, we already had a result, we have the youngsters as our focus some agreements with other municipalities, group, similar to the communities involving but because of the pandemic we had to cancel young and upcoming artists around UngAalborg those arrangements. and Teater Nordkraft. UngAalborg focuses on young people from the ages of fourteen, but Scott William Raby: You are describing how Vækstlag we don’t stop there as we invite older artists 9000 can interestingly integrate itself into other as well. As a result of the financial support cultural organizations, and I was wondering, from UngAalborg, we have had the challenge could you speak about what is interesting and of integrating towards young people. what is challenging about not having a space; how does that define what you do? MH: Do you have a physical space or do you use different spaces? SM: This feeling that we as young artists and upcoming artists have the opportunity to go SM: The answer is yes and no, because we are into different cultural institutions and perform a collaboration between UngAalborg and Teater there is very exciting. It is very interesting that Nordkraft. UngAalborg is physically situated we are not a group physically fixed into Blok X at Blok X in Karolinelund, so we could say that or Teater Nordkraft, but that we can also col- is one of our houses and the other one is the laborate with all of the other cultural institutions Teater Nordkraft. We, the producers, decided as we wish. As a producer it is also interesting that we would try to “take over” all the cultural to see how the architecture or a specific com- institutions in Aalborg, as we have made events munity around a certain institution can create at Studenterhuset, BoxTown, Marienhaab, and new experiences or new challenges. Also, we Projekt Vækstlag 9000 p. 250 map↗ can say that, when we’re coming to perform at connect to each other are important as well. Studenterhuset, or 1000fryd, or Huset that they I feel it’s already a kind of ambitious project are all different in many ways. The varying locally trying to connect with all the upcoming artists engaged people that make these collaborations in Aalborg, and now all of the upcoming artists are also very dynamic. in Northern Jutland, so that’s where our vision is heading right now. MH: You already told us a little bit about the future plans, doing more collaborations outside of Aalborg... Is there anything right now that Væktslag 9000 dreams about? As we think about the future, are there any challenges you see moving forward?

SM: We experimented a bit during the Corona pandemic, but we were very careful about making people come together with all the pandemic issues and guidelines. Then we decided to make some online performances. We took OnStage, the event where we meet physically in one of those institutions and created another concept that was called HomeStage, which is where one makes a performance from their home, and we stream it on our online platform. We open ourselves up for new ideas, so the people who participate in our events can also bring their input. All of our events finish with an artist talk, because focusing on young artists is very important and it is interesting to learn to speak about and understand each other’s ideas in a public setting. Also to understand how we operate, how we produce and how we can Projekt Vækstlag 9000 p. 252 map↗

Aalborg Fødevarefællesskab is an association where members come together to buy organic food directly from local farmers. The association is based on voluntary work that can consist of taking a package or delivery shift, participating in one of the working groups or helping out with an event. Aalborg Aalborg Fødevarefællesskab also works as a community where you meet other people and can participate in events Fødevarefællesskab related to organic and local food.

Karolinelundsvej 60, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 2013 Website: www.aalborgff.dk Center for Dansk Jazzhistorie p. 258 map↗

The Center for Danish Jazz History researches Denmark’s jazz history and holds concerts, talks, film screenings, and radio cinema. Their aim is to put a greater emphasis, research, and focus on jazz in Denmark. The center is established and operated by a group of students and staff from Aalborg Center for Dansk University. Jazzhistorie

Kjellerups Torv 2, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 2006 Website: www.jazzcentret.dk Fjordbyen p. 260 map↗

Fjordbyen is a self-organized, resistance and anarchistic residential area with 122 tiny houses located along the Lim- fjord in Aalborg near the recreational boat harbor. The area has a maritime appearance, as there are many old self-built fisherman sheds that have been rebuilt and transformed into modest residential houses. The common gathering Fjordbyen point for residents and guests is the bodega called “Kul- turcenteret” where one can get beer, coffee or other drinks and attend different events.

Fjordbyen, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 1980 Website: fjordbyen.dk Kunsthal NORD p. 262 map↗

Kunsthal NORD is a contemporary art center located within Aalborg’s Nordkraft building. Their main activity is to exhibit and communicate contemporary visual art. The Kunsthal puts a special focus on quality, relevance, and local educational programming with a particular commitment to the Kunsthal NORD Danish art scene.

Kjellerups Torv 5, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 2009 Website: www.kunsthalnord.dk Hal9k p. 264 map↗

Hal9k is a non-profit hacker, maker, and creative workspace. It is an open high-tech workshop where one can make (almost) everything with 3D printing, laser engraving, and other technology driven tools and work spaces. Everyone is invited to come visit on designated evenings to see the Hal9k various projects or to sign up to become a member.

Sofiendalsvej 80, 9200 Aalborg Founded: 2010 Website: hal9k.dk Marienhaab p. 266 map↗

Marienhaab is a bed & breakfast, sound studio, and multi-purpose musical event space. It is home to many festive experiences, concerts, meetings, performances, and bach- elor parties. Marienhaab was originally an old church built in 1808, but today it is owned and organized by Birgitte Rode. Marienhaab

Kirkegårdsgade 3, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 1983 Website: www.marienhaab.dk Studenterhuset Aalborg p. 268 map↗

Studenterhuset is an association and a meeting place run by volunteers. The association aims to organize a social meeting space for many of the students from nearby uni- versities AAU and UCN. It also functions as a café, bar, cultural space, and popular music venue. Studenterhuset is Studenterhuset an important stage in Aalborg and Denmark when it comes to not only local, but also national, and international cultural Aalborg growth layers.

Gammeltorv 10, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 1996 Website: studenterhuset.dk Nordjyllands Kunstnerværksted p. 270 map↗

Nordjyllands Kunstnerværksted (or the Northern Jutland’s Art- ist Workshop) is an artistic studio space for active, practicing visual artists with two locations: one in Aalborg’s Nordkraft building and one in Aalborg West. The aim of the workspace is to support visual artistic production and create an envi- Nordjyllands ronment for reciprocal inspiration between visual artists in Kunstnerværksted Northern Jutland. The studio space has room for 12 artists.

Skydebanevej 9 , 9000 Aalborg Kjellerups Torv 5, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 2009 Website: www.kunsthalnord.dk/ northern-jutlands-artists-studie Trekanten p. 272 map↗

Trekanten (The Triangle) is a large cultural center consisting of a library, café, conference rooms, stages, and a mak- erspace with 3D printing, laser cutting, and a carpentry workshop. They have various programs for talks, theatre events, concerts, workshops, meetings, and much more. Trekanten is a part of Aalborg Municipality, is located on Trekanten the eastern edge of the city, and focuses its activities for publics of all ages and experience levels.

Sebbersundvej 2A, 9220 Aalborg Founded: 2011 Website: trekanten.info North Urban Art Studio p. 274 map↗

North Urban Art Studio is a shared street art studio in a large harborfront redevelopment area in Aalborg. It is located in a former industrial building that used to be part of the Akvavit liquor factory called Spritten. The studio occasionally hosts exhibitions and workshops in art genres varying from street art and paintings to photography and film. The aim of the North Urban Art Studio studio is to function as a workspace, community, and to strengthen the creative growth layer in Northern Jutland.

C. A. Olesens Gade 1, 9000 Aalborg Founded: 2020 Website: www.northurbanartstudio.com p. 276 map↗

Mapping of the Movable, Aalborg, Denmark, 2021 ISBN 978-87-973093-0-8

For more information: www.majhorn.dk www.f-x.dk