Location: Det Grønlandske Hus, Aarhus
Status: Completed 2024
Bespoke permanent lighting installations
The intention of the light installations is to preserve, and to some extent enhance, the solemn spaces designed by @Rubowarkitekter. Based on the Inuit creation myth about the sun and the moon, and with references to traditional Christian artworks that you find in protestant churches, the work thus represents the encounter between Inuit and Western culture and religion.
Representing the Inuit, Christian and scientific narrative of the creation of the Sun, the installations are an attempt to create a contemporary, modern-day community house for Inuit and those who seek information about Greenland.
I hope to create a space that invites those who enters it to find rest, and provides a sense of community and knowledge. Furthermore, I hope the visitors find themselves reflected in the installations and somehow resonate with their roots and their contemporary selves regardless of whether or not they consider themselves religious.
The history of Greenland is in many ways represented in the installations, showcasing pre-, peri- and post colonization. A wall-mounted installation, representing the Sun, based on the Inuit myth, decorates the entrance (wall), drawing references to a crucifix hanging in a Christian church.
Early in the research process, I felt an architectural quietude with the solemn skylights and shadow-play, high ceilings and wooden shutters creating an atmosphere of privacy. In the process of looking at the floor plan I noticed similarities to a protestant church. Finally, I decided to generate a resembling effect, with traditional and modern elements to convey the idea of enduring value of traditional Greenlandic craft in the context of today’s society.
In the Main Hall the visitors will find another ‘Sun’ installation symbolically on the East-facing wall (the Altar). In the main body of the hall (the Nave) the Solar system is suspended from the ceiling. Like votive ships hung from the ceilings inside churches — each lamp symbolizes its own planet of our solar system. Under the solar system visitors can explore a starry night sky telling stories from the Greenlandic culture.
Completed in 2024.
