Danish Greenspace

Question 4, Mon 02 June (06) Field Study # 1 - TICKON

Describe your experience and interpretation of TICKON in the light of visiting it with its creator.

Tickon was created to promote the surrounding area and put it on the map, creating an attraction to bring awareness to the area. Well-known international artists were invited to create site-specific art work embracing nature. It was a very creative solution to bring awareness to the area in a time where the Danish government ignored it. Greenspace becomes a museum, as opposed to putting these art pieces in a sterile environment. The natural greenspace, in this case, is a place to exhibit and ultimately affect the art because of natural processes such as decay and erosion. During our tour, Bonanno mentioned that once an artist was commissioned for an installation at Tickon but was not accustomed to creating outdoors. The piece was dismantled in days: parts of the sculpture were little copper beads that were stolen and the whole thing fell apart. In this way, this is a museum built for a specific kind of art, an art that can endure the elements. All of the art is site-specific, meaning that all the ideas for the art were inspired by the land around it. All of the art uses nature as a medium whether the material is rock, wood or any other natural element in the surrounds.

Nature and decay transform the art into different stages. Bonanno told us that "Organic High Way" by Mikael Hansen was reconstructed several times since the original. Even when most of the wood decays, there are traces left behind.

It was interesting to hear about Bonanno’s own work "Between the Copper Beech and the Oak." He explained that the sculpture was about light and shadow and how the sculpture has more meaning when people or animals are around it. Otherwise it is just sitting in the landscape. I thought this was an interesting perspective of how an audience is important to art – and even to this park.