Den Blå Planet, Danemark – part 2

Continuing with Den Blå Planet (the blue planet) in Copenhagen …

See earlier post here … a few more photos of the building’s architecture.

Futuristic without feeling cold, I may even say it looks organic, possibly because there were no right angles or sharp corners in sight.

They have very few mammals but this pair of sea otters are new arrivals and very cute indeed. We also saw some otters in Lisbon’s aquarium, they are ever so entertaining (to see more otters, click here).

This section of the aquarium is the Amozonas – the sunken forest, which features Europe’s largest herd of carnivorous piranha – I wished we knew the feeding hours – it would be quite a sight !

There were giant catfish as well as normal ones.

They are a bit more colorful than the ones we expect to see normally.

We have no idea what kind of fish this is. They are huge with dark green scales and some orange tinge near the tail. Their heads look fossilized.

The skin around its head looks like the exoskeleton of the mature alien in the movies Alien, Aliens, etc.

The polka-dotted, flat plaice or flounder are stunning. Those dots serve the opposite function of camouflage ! What is the evolutionary benefit ? To attract mates ?

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And there is this one that obviously lives close to land given its muddy color. Just don’t tell me that they are the males and females of the same species with the polka-dotted ones.

This look like a giant goldfish.

We had lunch at the aquarium and on its menu was fish and chips. I (Chris) went for the shrimp salad – the shrimps were caught in Greenland and hand-peeled !  (as described in the menu)

From the restaurant, one can see the turbines for wind energy which has been adopted very successfully here. They sell electricity to Sweden and Germany.

Nice aquarium.

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Den Blå Planet, Danemark – part 1

Den Blå Planet (the blue planet) is the National Aquarium of Denmark (Danmarks Akvarium), located on Amager in Copenhagen.

The building’s architecture was inspired by the circulating currents of the whirlpool.

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From the entrance, the visitor steps into the vortex of the whirlpool – the round lobby – and is drawn inside the spiral towards the 53 aquariums and installations.

The ocean tank holds 4 million liters of water and has a tunnel that allows one to see big fishes (sharks and the like) swim above and below.

The coral reef is of course super colorful and very cheerful indeed.

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I forgot the name of this kind of eel-like fish that has its tail lodged in the sand, while its upper body and head wave about in the waves. Creepy.

Male sea horses are known to carry their young in their bellies after fertilization, hence appearing pregnant. Look at this dads in the aquarium, the young ones must be heavy, surprised that he does not sink.

Close-up of another species of sea horse. This species use camouflage to resemble the plants to which it clings to for much of its life.

Lion fish

This vortex of fish does not seem to stop, at least for the time we stood there to watch. They remind me of some of us, constantly going around in circles, darting out once in a while to catch our breadth – another form of “rat race”.

To see some exotic seawater fishes, go to our earlier posts here and here.

Relæ, København, Danemark

In 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, Noma in Copenhagen, founded by René Redzepi, was named as the best restaurant in the world by a British magazine. Opened in 2003, Noma is known for its reinvention and interpretation of the Nordic cuisine.

By the way, this post mentions rankings of restaurants which can sound a bit much … so if it bothers, ignore them and just look at the photos. We don’t take the rankings seriously.

Months before we arrived Copenhagen, IT put our names on Noma’s waiting list for a table just for lunch (not even dinner). Unsurprisingly, no luck.

Many alumni chefs of Noma have opened restaurants on their own in the Danish capital. Located in the Nørrebro area, Relæ is one of them, started in 2010 by Christian Puglisi and Kim Rossen. It has received one Michelin star.

We did not know it at the time, Relae has also been named as No. 45 of the best 100 restaurants in the world (sponsored by S Pellegrino and Acqua Panna). They said:

Relae takes a more flexible approach to local sourcing, creating dishes that are in the New Nordic tradition, but also acknowledge the chef’s Italian background and time spent working at El Bulli in Spain.

If you care to compare, according to this set of judges/diners in 2015, for example, Noma is No.3, L’Arpege in Paris is No.14, Per Se and Momofuku Ko in NYC is named No. 40 and 69 respectively.

The current No.1 restaurant is El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain (we have been to Girona on our way to Dali’s museum but could not imagine the world’s no.1 restaurant is there).

I(Chris) read somewhere that food projects personality … and asparagus displays a “resolute commitment to individuality”.

Relae is certified organic and the menu is a simple choice between four or seven courses. Nothing was written so we cannot reproduce the name of the dishes here.

The cutlery is hidden inside the table in their precisely cut place.

The restaurant has a manifesto online.

Relæ works on focused and tasty food, no muss, no fuss. Everything is cut to the bone, no frames but the few hanging on the walls. Simplicity with quality comes first, great details are just beneath. Its our choice to be certified organic, because its worth it. Wine? We pick ‘em naturally, You pour ‘em.

A bit of theatre  …

What’s underneath the asparagus ? Voila, la volaille. And morels.

They believe “An element of surprise makes the dining experience more exciting.”  … the lack of menu, the hidden cutlery, the covered chicken … they are consistent.

Their web site contains an ethics tab, here is a precis: “We aim to have sustainable practices in all areas, from the food and drinks we serve, to the resources we use and actions we employ… we do not settle with an ’as-good-as-it-gets’ attitude.” – very laudable indeed.

“By daring and challenging ourselves with serious sustainability policies … problem solving is creativity and creativity is what brings us further.”  – sounds like a restaurant in the bay area or Portland, Oregon.

Highly recommendable. Overall very good.

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Alberto Giacometti’s skinny people @ Louisiana, Denmark

Still about Denmark …

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark has a stunning collection of Alberto Giacometti’s sculptures. This is the third of a series of posts on this wonderful museum, click on the link to see part 1 and part 2.

Alberto Giacometti is a Swiss, Paris-based artist, with sculpting being one of several techniques he practiced. His trademark skinny men and women are powerfully expressive and instantly recognizable.

He died in 1966. His work (L’Homme qui marche I) and his image appears on the blueish 100 Swiss Franc note.

Louisiana placed their collection of AG’s sculptures in a double-height gallery with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side.

L’Homme qui marche I, a life-sized bronze sculpture of a walking man, is the star here.

There are 6 editions of L’Homme qui marche I in total. Edition number 2 became one of the most expensive works of art and the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction on February 2, 2010, when it sold for £65 million (US$104.3 million) at Sotheby’s, London. In May 2015, AG’s other work  L’Homme au doigt surpassed it at a price tag of US$141.3 million.

I found the face unexpectedly expressive.

The gallery is shared with a large Francis Bacon on the wall on the other side. Including a few smaller bust by AG, there must be more than 150 million dollars worth of art in that space.

Apparently, Giacometti would rarely deviate from the three themes that preoccupied him—the walking man; the standing, nude woman; and the bust— or all three, combined in various groupings.

In the 30’s, he was a surrealist but after the war, he began exploring bronze sculptures and his style matured in the 50’s and 60’s – a motif of the suffering human figure a popular symbol of post-war trauma..

It has been said that his style “summed up the philosophy’s interests in perception, alienation and anxiety”.

The walking man is described as “both a humble image of an ordinary man, and a potent symbol of humanity”. Giacometti is said to have viewed “the natural equilibrium of the stride” as a symbol of “man’s own life force”.

Louisiana’s collection is large even from an international perspective, and remarkable in that it shows the breadth of the artist.

 

 

Random photos #166 – 175

These are the photos I (Chris) took and posted on Facebook. The series was started in March of 2013. There is no theme – just something random and visually interesting. We gave each a title and noted where it was taken (to the extent we could remember the city).

random photo #166 – deep blue – Caribbean

 

random photo #167 – red corridor – Barcelona

 

random photo #168 – “to put it bluntly” – Sao Paulo

 

random photo #169 – forbidden planet – Interlaken

 

random photo #170 – needles – Lausanne

 

random photo #171 – face – Interlaken

 

random photo #172 – lifeless – Sao Paulo

 

random photo #173 – edible tale – Château-d’Oex

 

random photo #174 – chef – Barcelona

 

random photo #175 – boy – Marigot, St Martin

 

If you are interested in seeing other Random Photos, click on the  random  tag on the left.

We have nothing to do with the ads below here.

 

 

Finding 13, part 4

Well, tomorrow is Friday the 13th of December 2015.

We are not superstitious about the number. We just happen to live at No. 13 now and I used to work at Room 1313 on the 13th floor. I(Chris) am just curious about the other No: 13’s – how they look and what’s behind them.

TAMI’, via Cavour 13, Ortigia, Sicily

Under renovation, Ortigia (like many of the buildings in the old part of town)

Osteria del Vecchio Galla, via Cavour 13, Alba – “old chicken ?”

Somewhere in France

Köln

Dong energy – Denmark’s largest energy company – wind farms, the harder it blows, the better …

more 13 …

In downtown Copenhagen

That’s all for now.

Click the links to see part 1, part 2 and part 3.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark – part 2

One of the most attractive aspect of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is its location by the Øresund Sound and how pieces of art have been naturally integrated into the landscape.

This is part 2, part 1 is here.

It was a real pleasure to stroll through the museum’s sculpture park, where works are harmoniously set in gardens and groves, and on a grassy bluff overlooking the water.

Across the sound is Sweden. Louisiana is private but receives 25% funds from the state and serves a big role in the cultural life of Danish citizen.

The museum’s buildings are connected by glass-enclosed corridors which shield the visitors from the cold weather (during the winter months, not while we were visiting) and allow the visitors to see the gardens and the sculptures.

In fact, the large rectangular windows effectively frame the pieces. There are about 60 pieces scattered about outside. Some are easily viewed, others almost hidden or blending in to the surroundings in an almost mysterious way.

Erected in a grassy area and facing the water is a large mobile by Alexander Calder. On the day we visited, the panels of primary colors (white, black, red) were swinging gently in the breeze, contrasting nicely against the blue sky.

Every one stopped here for a snack and coffee to enjoy the wide vista of the water.

It is really a place to spend an entire day – relaxing and viewing art. The museum recommends visiting the garden at different times in a year to see how the weather and the seasons makes for totally different experiences of the same sculptures. Well, you are experiencing the summer views with these photos.

A Richard Serra piece was embedded into the sides of a sloping path, where the path leads down from the lawn with the Calder mobile to the beach below.

Several pieces by Henry Moore are strategically placed.

The grounds are very inviting to visitors to explore, get lost and find calm.

We really like this place and would love to visit again (but not sure if we are brave enough to come back in winter).

 

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark – part 1

Denmark’s premier destination for viewing art is actually located 25 miles north of the capital, in Humlebæk— a 45-minute train ride from Copenhagen (København, Danmark) —on the shore of the Øresund Sound which separates Denmark and Sweden.

The entrance is deceptively simple and does not reveal the marvelous modern galleries and lovely natural landscape.

Initially, it was founded in 1958 for the purpose of collecting Danish art. The founder Knud W. Jensen changed his mind soon after and made the museum’s clear mission as the promotion of international art in Denmark.

From the train station, it is a 15-minute walk through the village of Humlebæk or the distance of about two bus-stops.

The museum has two wings. We barely had a chance to see the wing with permanent collection which includes works from Europe and the US after 1945 (pieces by Picasso, Warhol, Rauchenberg, Oldenburg) and numerous pieces from after the 1990s.

The museum includes not just a cafe but a buffet restaurant on the waterfront (we had dinner there).

In 2008, extending its hours until 22.00 Tuesday to Friday enables the museum to serve as a cultural center.

It has a mini lecture hall. According to the museum’s web site,

the founder “divided the exhibitions into hot and cold varieties: The hot consisted of artists that the guests already knew – the great modern classics – while the cold gave room for names the guests had never heard of – the less easily accessible, often contemporary artists.”

There is also a multi-level gift shop, which is an understatement, since it not only sells museum catalogs and books, it also sells a carefully coordinated collection of clothings and accessories taken from multiple brands.

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is named after the wives of the original owner of the building, all three of whom were named Louise. Nothing to do with the state of Louisiana in the US.

The view of the water from this room is stunning. Don’t we all wish to have such a living room ?

Among its permanent collection are entire galleries dedicated to Asger Jorn (Danish) and Alberto Giacometti (see later post), as well as an installation of mirrored psychedelia by Yayoi Kusama – Gleaming Lights of the Souls.

You enter the installation through this small non-descript door and walk a short distance into the middle of a space. It looks the same all around. Can you see us ? The light changes color continuously. One loses all sense of direction, perspective, size and distance in this room. I really liked to turn the lights on and see how actually small or large is the room.

The temporary exhibitions include work by Jeff Wall

David Hockney produced a series of drawings while staying nearby.

Paintings by Peter Doig

I (Chris) have not heard of this artist Doig before but I liked his work. Apparently, a living Scottish painter, residing in Trinadad, whose paintings sold for 25 million in 2015 at Christie’s. Hmmm.

We will take a stroll through the museum’s sculpture garden in our next post.

Copenhagen highlights, part 2, Denmark

Continuing with our adventures in Denmark (København, Danemark) earlier this year …

If you have just joined, part 1 starts here. We went to Copenhagen in June – the beginning of their summer.

… Certain areas of Copenhagen really looked like Amsterdam. We took a boat tour of its harbor and canals.

Nyhavn (new harbor) in the middle of the city.

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From the boat, we saw the back of one of Copenhagen’s defining sights – Little Mermaid. It is really little despite its fame. Locally, it is best known for its history as a stolen item – parts of the statute have been cut and removed several times.

Tourists and locals alike, relaxing by the canal – Nyhavn, where there are endless bars and restaurants.

… including the Hong Kong Night Club.

Copenhagen Opera House

The harbor also has a military presence.

One day we all went our separate way. I(Chris) went to a museum about beer (see later post).

But we met up for an afternoon snack at the Cafe Royal of the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel – a historic hotel that was designed by Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen for Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) in the early 1960s.

The entire hotel – from the exterior façade through to the stainless-steel cutlery used in the restaurant, and the Swan and Egg chairs gracing the lobby – was designed by him.

Poster-size photos of the glamour of yesteryears adorn the cafe walls.

In downtown Copenhagen near the Rosenborg Castle Park (Kongens Have) stood the Danish Film Institute, it had a cinema and DVD shop. The entrance of the institute is flanked by these two cartoony animal head sculptures … we are not sure if it was from an actual cartoon.

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Next up will be photos of the neat Designmuseum and the incomparable Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Don’t miss them.