Archipelago

We end season one with a bang — on the little known Danish island of Pornø. 

To mark half a century since Denmark became the first country to legalise visual pornography, we take a deep dive into arty porn and pornographic art.

Up first, we meet Rasmus Steenbakken, the curator of a major new group exhibition at the ARoS art museum in Aarhus which looks at cultural creativity, freedom of expression and art in the age of pornography.

Then we talk to Anne Sofie Steen Sverdrup of Copenhagen-based porn production company Bedside Productions. She wants society to take porn more seriously as a cultural product — and even went in front of the camera to show how it should be done.

Further reading:

“Art & Porn”, ARoS

https://en.aros.dk/exhibitions_/2019/art-porn/

Bedside Productions

http://www.bedside-productions.com/

The music used in Archipelago is produced by two local artists:

Squares and Triangles

https://squaresandtriangles.bandcamp.com/

Scenery

https://scenerymusic.bandcamp.com/

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

Once a foodie wasteland, Copenhagen is today a major gastronomic destination.

It is, of course, the epicentre of New Nordic cuisine — the culinary movement that championed hyper-local, seasonal ingredients and elevated foraging and fermentation to art forms.

But it’s also a global food city — one where savvy diners can find everything from Surinamese peanut soup to Ethiopian injera, Vietnamese banh mi to Cantonese dim sum.

Even the local government has gone gourmet. There are honey bees on the roof of one town hall, a gin distillery in the basement of another.

In this episode, we take a snapshot of the Copenhagen food scene — and discuss how it’s changed, why that matters, and where it could be going next.

Up first is American journalist Lisa Abend, who writes about current affairs, culture and food for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Time magazine, among others.

Then we meet Nick Curtin, Andrew Valenzuela, and Camilla Hansen — the co-founders of Alouette, which was awarded a Michelin star within a year of opening in a former envelope factory in Islands Brygge.

Finally, we discuss the intersection of food and theatre with Rasmus Munk, the head chef and founder of soon-to-be-relaunched restaurant Alchemist, and its dramaturge Louise Knudsen.

Further reading:

Lisa Abend on “The Food Circus”

https://www.fool.se/free-read

Alouette

http://www.restaurantalouette.dk/

Alchemist

http://restaurant-alchemist.dk/

The music used in Archipelago is produced by two local artists:

Squares and Triangles

https://squaresandtriangles.bandcamp.com/

Scenery

https://scenerymusic.bandcamp.com/

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

We try to solve one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

Why are the Danish so crazy about chairs? Why are there so many Danish chairs? And does the world really need any more of them?

Ahead of 3 Days of Design — Denmark’s biggest annual design event — we meet a trio of design devotees and discuss the past, present and future of Danish design.

Up first is Christian Holmsted Olesen, the head of exhibitions and collections at the Danish Design Museum and the author of The Danish Chair: An International Affair.

Then we hear from Jeni Porter, the editor of Ark Journal, a brand-new Copenhagen-based magazine about architecture, design and art.

Finally, we talk to Henrik Lorensen, the founder of TAKT, a new Danish company that wants to rethink the way we design, build and sell furniture.

Further reading:

Danish Design Museum’s permanent exhibition, The Danish Chair: An International Affair

https://designmuseum.dk/en/exhibition/the-danish-chair-an-international-affair/

Ark Journal

https://www.ark-journal.com/

Takt

https://taktcph.com/

The music used in Archipelago is produced by two local artists:

Squares and Triangles

https://squaresandtriangles.bandcamp.com/

Scenery

https://scenerymusic.bandcamp.com/

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

CPH:DOX is one of the world’s largest documentary film festivals — and a highlight of Copenhagen’s cultural calendar.

In this episode we talk to the directors of two films that were screened in competition at the 2019 festival. Two very similar — and yet very different — documentaries about children growing up in Copenhagen today.

Phie Ambo’s REDISCOVERY is a beautifully shot film about the 10 weeks that almost 50 children from the Green Free School in Amager spent building camps on an overgrown patch of land after they were tasked with establishing a new society there.

Olivia Chamby-Rus’s WOLFLAND is a deeply personal slice of life from the perspective of children and teenagers living on or near Blågårds Plads, a square in the northern Copenhagen district of Nørrebro.

Further reading:

REDISCOVERY (Trailer)

https://vimeo.com/315875664

WOLFLAND (Trailer)

https://vimeo.com/325845028

The music used in Archipelago is produced by two local artists:

Squares and Triangles

https://squaresandtriangles.bandcamp.com/

Scenery

https://scenerymusic.bandcamp.com/

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

Episode two is about two Danish companies that have developed creative ways to employ people who often struggle to pick up work.

First we meet People Like Us — a brewing company run by people who have been diagnosed with autism and social anxiety, and war veterans with PTSD.

Then we meet Bike & Bloom, a florist that hires and trains people who are among the most invisible members of any society or labour market — refugee women.

Further reading:

People Like Us

https://peoplelikeus.dk/

Bike & Bloom

https://www.bikeandbloom.com/

The music used in Archipelago is produced by two local artists:

Squares and Triangles

https://squaresandtriangles.bandcamp.com/

Scenery

https://scenerymusic.bandcamp.com/

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

Two very different takes on what our default response to life's opportunities ought to be. 

Based on a pair of words that we all use every day. A pair of words with the power to change your life, alter the course of history, or simply stop you leaving the house. Those words, of course, are Yes and No.

First we hear from Aalborg University psychology professor and bestselling author Svend Brinkmann about the importance of wearing "the No hat", the tyranny of positive thinking, and the "joy of missing out".

Then we meet Jay Sukow, until recently the artistic director of Copenhagen's top improv school. He talks about the life-changing power of saying "Yes, and…", why mistakes should be seen as gifts, and why you should do one thing every week that scares you.

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.

A preview of the brand-new podcast about arts, culture and ideas in Denmark. Produced by Mothertongue Media. 

Visit www.archipelagoaudio.com for more information.