MY SOUP POT
In the HÅNDVÆRK bookazine no. 2, the one with the indigo-coloured hands on the cover,
one of the articles that has received the most positive feedback is ‘Blue Hands’.
January 2021
The way the article came about was rather unique. Or, actually, it was quite similar to much of my work, in that it was a combination of chance and planning.
In the background, I have an ongoing process that never stops – it has always been that way, not only now, in connection with my bookazine; it was the same when I worked with branding and fashion design. This process is always picking up on trends and impulses which then simmer in a pot until the next phases begin – the conscious phases of planning and production.
In terms of the bookazines, once I am halfway into the production of one issue, I already know what the topic of the next edition is going to be.
For example, when it was time to launch bookazine no. 1 at an event at A. Petersen Collection & Craft in October 2019, I had long known that no. 2 would be about textiles. I had begun to throw things into the pot and was keeping an eye out for additional ingredients, but the soup was far from finished; in fact I had not even entered the deliberate, goal-oriented part of the process.
On the day of the launch for no. 1, my Instagram feed was filling up with blue textiles and blue hands. I had already put indigo into the pot but had no idea yet about who, what or how.
On Instagram I read that the Japanese design collective Buaisou – a venerated name in design circles – was coming to Copenhagen for a couple of days to hold a workshop at the Danish Art Workshops. I wish I had known ahead of time so that I could have requested an interview. But I found out too late. I had to abandon that idea and, besides, I had my hands full with preparations for the reception.
At A. Petersen we opened the doors to the reception guests at 16:00. At 16:30, a delegation of people with blue hands wearing indigo-blue clothes showed up. As it turned out, this was the Buaisou collective, accompanied, among others, by Helle Trolle and Helle Vibeke Jensen, who were the organizers of the workshop.
I was delighted to learn that even though I had not known about the workshop ahead of time, there was in fact a window for an interview the following day. Some of the photos I share here were taken in connection with the interview but did not make it into the bookazine; this includes Helle Vibeke Jensen’s blue hand. They provided the inspiration for the cover photo, which was taken later at the Royal Danish Academy, School of Design, where Helle Trolle is a teacher and where she had a pot of blue simmering.
You can read the interviews with Buaisou and Helle Trolle in bookazine no. 2. (sold out)
And where am I going with this? I want to thank you for everything you add to my Instagram feed and all the tips you email me. Even if I don’t immediately act on a tip, it goes into the pot along with everything I read in the newspapers, hear on the radio and talk about with the people I meet.
Some of the ingredients turn into a concentrated stock, others become published content. Thank you for all of it.
En af de meget priste artikler i HÅNDVÆRK bookazine no. 2, det med de indigoblå hænder på forsiden, er artiklen ”De blå hænder”.
Optakten til den artikel var speciel. Eller rettere, på en eller anden måde minder den om meget andet i mit arbejdsliv, et samspil mellem det vilkårlige og det planlagte.
Jeg har, og sådan har det altid været, ikke bare nu hvor jeg laver bookaziner, men også da jeg lavede branding, og da jeg designede tøj, et underlæggende spor, som forbereder sig. Et spor som opsnapper tendenser og impulser, som simrer i en gryde, indtil de næste faser, de bevidste, planlægningsfasen og produktionsfasen påbegyndes.
I forholdet til bookazinerne så ved jeg allerede, når jeg er halvt inde i det ene nummer, hvad næste udgave skal dreje sig omkring.
Da jeg lancerede bookazine no. 1 hos A. Petersen Collection & Craft i oktober 2019, vidste jeg for længst, at no. 2 skulle handle om tekstiler, og jeg var begyndt at fylde i gryden og at se ud ad øjenkrogen, men jeg havde langt fra kogt suppen færdig, faktisk var jeg ikke tilnærmelsesvis gået i gang med den målrettede del af processen.
På samme dag, hvor lanceringen skulle foregå, fyldtes mit Instagram feed af blå tekstiler og blå hænder. Jeg havde absolut indigofarve i den gryde, jeg havde sat over, men jeg havde ikke gjort mig forestilling om hvem, hvad eller hvordan.
Jeg kunne på Instagram læse mig frem til, at det i designbranchen meget hypede japanske designkollektiv Buaisou var i byen et par dage for at holde workshop på Statens værksted for kunst og design. Det ville jeg rigtig gerne have vidst besked om, så jeg kunne have anmodet om et interview med dem. Men det var for sent. Jeg slog det ud af hovedet og havde i øvrigt fuldt op at gøre med at forberede min reception.
Hos A. Petersen slog vi dørene op for at byde receptionsgæsterne velkomne kl. 16. Kl. 16.30 kom en deputation iført indigoblåt tøj og med blå hænder. Det viste sig at være Buaisou kollektivet fulgt af blandt andre Helle Trolle og Helle Vibeke Jensen, som var arrangører af workshoppen.
Det viste sig også, at selvom jeg ikke havde kendt til workshoppen på forhånd, så var der en åbning i forholdet til interview dagen efter, og glad blev jeg. Nogle af billederne her er fraklip taget i forbindelse med dette interview, Helle Vibeke Jensens blå hånd blandt andet. Det var den, som inspirerede mig til forsidefotografiet, som siden blev taget på Danmarks Designskole KADK, hvor Helle Trolle underviser, og hvor hun havde en gryde med blåt sat over.
Interview med Buaisou og interview med Helle Trolle kan du læse i bookazine no. 2 ( bookazine 2 er udsolgt).
Hvor vil jeg hen med alt dette? Jeg vil sige tak for alt, hvad I fylder mit Instagram feed med og for alle tips, jeg får på mail. Selv om jeg ikke umiddelbart rykker ud, når du har tipset mig, så ryger det i suppegryden, sammen med det jeg læser i avisen, hører i radioen og taler med mine medmennesker om.
Nogle af ingredienserne koger jeg fond på, andre bliver til egentligt indhold. Tak for det hele.
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