ALL THAT SPARKLES

KENNETH NEDERSKOV PETERSEN

// Kenneth is based in Roskilde, Denmark, some 30 km from the capital Copenhagen. Among his many street and architecture photographs are some irresistibly sparkly images of cultural architecture by night, of which we are pleased to show a set. After all, what would the performing arts and fine arts be without the often very beautiful buildings that offer them space?

Kenneth has been passionate about photography since his teen years. “I want to get into projects where my experience in photography can be used. I mostly shoot street photography and architecture, but seek to make more portraits,” he told us.

The series he submitted is a project he started under the COVID-19 pandemic situation. He did not feel safe about normal close up street photography. He worked from home and needed to get out and do something on his own – at a safe distance. That is when his night photography project started. He searched for lights in the dark nights of winter, often near architectural landmarks or cultural installations and buildings. “It is a project that cleared my mind from heavy thoughts. I can see on my Instagram profile that other people found pleasure in looking at these pictures. So this project will continue.”

“When it comes to luck, you make your own.”

Bruce Springsteen

What draws you to the arts?

“Art, music, to be a creative, have always been a part of my life. I played several musical instruments in my school years, I have a large music collection, and I enjoy photography, film, events, museums and more. I am sorry that I now have an ear damage, so I am not able to attend concerts, theaters, festivals, as I did in my younger years. So I seek the quieter places, like museums, outdoor cultural installations – which I combine with taking pictures. Arts inspire me.”

What impresses you most about the night photography we are showing here?

“It surprised me that I found so much pleasure in slow photography, long exposures on a tripod. Street photography is about being quick. This was quite the opposite. The calmness and the beauty of my night photography helped me to get more easily through a challenging time of our lives – the pandemic.”

Because it is good to know what you are looking at, we asked Kenneth to identify the beautiful cultural architecture, both classicist and modern, that he photographed. We provide a brief explanation for each of the buildings, you can see which is which by clicking on the image to enlarging – the name is in the file name:

On the cover you see Copenhagen´s new temporary landmark, a large sign made of 13 red neon letters. The artwork is 8 metres high and 15 metres long, and rotates with a clear message: Understanding. The initial plan was to present the work last summer at the cancelled Roskilde Festival no. 50. Now, it lights up the darkness in Copenhagen as an artistic gesture to the public spirit we all have to show at the moment. The piece is created by the world-famous and award-winning British artist Martin Creed, and it has previously been raised in Brooklyn, New York, with Manhattan’s skyline as a backdrop.

BLOX is home to the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) and an urban innovation hub that brings together dozens of other design-related organizations and companies creating solutions for cities. Completed in 2018, the award-winning Dutch firm OMA, under the leadership of Partner/Director Ellen van Loon, created a striking new urban landmark.
This mixed-use building is designed with spaces for work, play, fitness, learning, and living.

Stærekassen (lit. “The Starling Nest Box”), also known as Ny Scene (New Stage) is a theatre building annexed to the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. It opened in 1931 to serve as an additional stage for the Royal Theatre and as the first home of the new Danish Broadcasting Corporation. The colloquial name refers to the design of the stage tower in the shape of a box suspended above the street. In the arched passage under the stage tower it is decorated with a large mosaic by Ejnar Nielsen, composed of three million pieces of glass from mosaic factories in Venice. The world of the arts is represented by figures of famous Danes, such as Hans Christian Andersen, Carl Nielsen and others, whilst the world of radio is represented by physicist such as Hans Christian Ørsted and Niels Bohr.

The Copenhagen Opera House is among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built at a cost of 2.5 billion DKK (c. 370,000,000 USD). Architect Henning Larsen and engineers Ramboll and Buro Happold and the consultant Theatreplan designed the facility. The acoustics were designed by Arup Acoustics and Speirs and Major Associates designed the architectural lighting. A.P. Møller had the final say in the design of the building.

The Ragnarock museum is dedicated to Danish rock music and other contemporary genres. The design competition for the museum was won by MVRDV in collaboration with COBE Architects. It opened on April 29, 2016.

When Det Ny Teater opened in 1908, it was Denmark’s second largest theatre with its 12,000 m² and more than a thousand seats, designed by the architect Lorenz Gudme. The technical facilities backstage were also the most advanced in the country, and the theatre was furbished most attractively. It was an innovative project at the time, with a whole complex of buildings that formed a road and a passage under the theatre. In 1991 the Greater Copenhagen County Theatres were forced to reduce the number of theatres in their administration. Folketeatret and Nørrebros Teater had just been rebuilt for a large sum. Det Ny Teater, strongly in need of repair, was closed for an indefinite period. Thanks to the good will from private funds, Councils, Local Councils, and County Councils it was possible to restore the building to its former glory. The restoration was chosen as a pilot project by the European Union and received the European architecture prize, Europa Nostra. With the re-opening of Det Ny Teater in 1994, Denmark added an international music theatre to its cultural institutions, with the capacity to produce large musical productions.

The Park Theatre, Parkteatret, formerly Park Bio, has functioned as a cinema in Frederikssund for 75 years. It also shows large theatre performances, and serves as a cultural gathering point in Frederikssund.

Cirkusbygningen is a circus building in Copenhagen, built from 1885-1886. It was designed by architect Henrik Vilhelm Brinkopff. The building is characterized by its circular shape and dome. While it was originally purpose-built to house circus performances, it has been variously used since 2002, for performances ranging from dinner shows to events such as conferences.

The Arken Museum of Modern Art is located in the small Danish town of Ishøj, just south of Copenhagen. It was inaugurated on 15 March 1996 as part of Kulturby 96 (Culture City 96). Surrounded by a man-made beachscape just south of Copenhagen, it showcases one of Scandinavia’s finest collections of contemporary art, and the maritime-inspired architecture has gained the museum international renown.

The Roskilde Museum is a state-recognized local cultural history museum for Roskilde and the surrounding area. The museum conveys the history of the city of Roskilde and the surrounding area through exhibitions with rich finds from the city’s history.

Click on the photos to see the full image with title, some images are cropped for layout.