Kenneth A. BalfeltVisual artist

Lidemarksvej 66DK-4632 Bjæverskov

Phone +45 35 14 40 06 • Mobile +45 26 52 66 00kennethbalfelt@a-r-d.org www.a-r-d.org

August 2009

Introduction to Art Projects

I work in the field of 'Socio-Political Context Related Functional Art'. I am concernedwith how art can produce value and knowledge to society as well as research inalternatives structures that can work parallel to capitalism. I think of a form of resistancethat work from within, in a constructive manner that produces rather than criticiseknowledge. I engage in a discourse of the politics of the social. You could say that Imake ‘social glue’.

I often use the build form, architecture and design, as medias for forming social space.Also, I often work collaboratively as well as enter a local context. Community and loveare often present! By making functional proposals or solutions I try to engage art asa paradigm as well as profession that can work directly with societal issues. But as youcan see from my projects many other aspects are also at play.

I have a background in marketing planning where I worked for 11 years and have adegree in marketing. After deciding to make art I studied at Goldsmiths College inLondon and did a BA Fine Art and an MA Art History (Twentieth Century) specialisingin cultural analysis and contemporary philosophy.

Enclosed are brief descriptions and photos of projects from the last five years. Pleasesee my homepage www.a-r-d.org for more information.

All the best

Kenneth A. Balfelt

Junior house, Free house, Freak house, Love in this club, The White House, Kysset,Indianerkysten, The Sweet Life, Flæskepony, The Homie House, Ostehaps,SchoolFreeHouse, Ostepop, Kiks, DampoShampoo, Sex in the City, Paradise Hotel,Lykken, Robinson, Foodprocessor, Legehuset .............CLUBHang out pavillion for youth in Nysted, Denmark - part of Nysted In-Situ (600 years anniversaryfor the town on the outskirt of Denmark)In cooperation with Kysten (treatment center for drug and alcohol abusers)Curated by Kathrine Olldag Mazanti, Guldborgsund Kommune2009

Nysted is a small habour town with many pensioners enjoying their retirement in the cosy, oldand traditional provincial town.

In interviews with 17 women from Nysted I asked them about problems they saw the townhaving. But very little came out of it as they did not really see Nysted having any problems.But in the end the one admitted that the closing of shops in the mailstreet Adelgade was aproblem. Also a younger school teacher pointed to the fact the the youth had nowhere to hangout.

Through this proces I connected the two challenges. If Nysted as an institution cannot fullfillthe needs of the youth maybe that is the reason why shops cannot survive?

In a proces with users of Kysten and youth from Nysted Skole (local public school) we build atemporary pavillion on a green behind the school. We made interviews with 6th and 7th gradestudents about what functions and facilities they needed. From this we made a workhops with32 6th grade students. The aims was to have their input about how to design the pavillion. Theypicked 8-10 preferred architectural works out of app. 100 and had an amazing creative proceswhere they made models, collages and drawings of what it could look like.

Inspired from this two of the users from Kysten and I then designed the pavillion. Here theyyouth can hang out, be social, flirt, play, listen to music, sun bath and everything else thatyouth develops through.

The youth manages the place themselves but adults from the local area around are wellcomedfrom the youth to help. As a local community it is then the challange to find a beautiful coexistensbetween older and younger. To give room for each others life processes.

The task now is to present the need and the research to the council for them to offer facilitiesfor the youth.

Junior house, Free house, Freak house, Love in this club, The White House, Kysset, Indianerkysten, The Sweet Life, Flæskepony,The Homie House, Ostehaps, SchoolFreeHouse, Ostepop, Kiks, DampoShampoo, Sex in the City, Paradise Hotel, Lykken,Robinson, Foodprocessor, Legehuset .............CLUBHang out pavillion for youth in Nysted, Denmark

Protection Room - Injection room for drug addictsPart of the public art project "Contemplation Room", with info centre at Overgaden, Copenhagenand in Rio and LondonCurated by Cecillie Gravesen, Lasse Johansen and Kristine Aggergård2002-2003

One of the great social and urban problems for citizens and businesses at Vesterbro (part ofCopenhagen near the Central Station) is the public injection of illegal drugs. The problem ishowever biggest for the drug addicts themselves as they have to inject under stress and generallymiserable conditions. This causes mistakes when injecting, overdoses and infections e.g. by HIVand hepatitis. On this basis I initiated to design a 1:1 model of a physical injection room.

By co-operating with drug addicts and related organisations, architect student Steffen Nielsenand I designed a physical model for how an injection room could look like. The room was usableboth functionally, health and cleaning wise. Professional nurses staffed the room. The bombshelter at Halmtorvet next to the central station was the physical frame for the project. Thisis one of the three preferred places for injecting. In Danish a bomb shelter is called a "protectionroom" which I adopted as a title for the project.

The idea was to "translate" all the debate, reports, expert panels and media coverage aboutinjection rooms from the last 6 years into a physical presence. From the written and spokenlanguage into a visual and physical one. To have an actual functioning injection room wasanother way of facilitating the debate. This is one of the great possibilities of functional art: togive thoughts and concepts a physical form, and thereby raise more facets of a given problem!

The strategy of the project was to use the physical space to raise a debate in the media in orderto activate politicians and drug and health experts. Also to let them take the opportunity todiscuss the issue in public. Through massive media coverage this was successful! We engagedboth local and parliamentary politicians in the debate as well as in making a law proposal.

During January and February I held meetings with all four right wing parties (two from TheGovernment) to convince them about the usefulness and ethics of injection rooms. On the 28February 2003 a Law Proposal set up by all four left wing parties had 1. Treatment in theParliament. On the 12 May I meet with the Ministry of Health Lars Løkke Rasmussen. Althoughhe admitted not to have any alternatives that could solve the problems that injection roomscould, he did not want to allow them. At the second treatment 60 voted against and 44 for. Butthe Social Democrats wants to relaunch the proposal in the Fall 2004 as a new EU report hasshows good results with injection rooms in other European countries.

In 2005 a group of people made a local conference with 80 invited guests and speakers toproduce solutions to drug related problems on Vesterbro (local borough of Copenhagen). Kennethwas one of the speakers and made a film with Johan Hye-Knudsen to present the different localparties view on the problems. The initiative was named Dugnad, after the old Norwegian termfor when local residents got together to solve a local problem. We produced 101 suggestionsthat were sent of to Parliament and the Copenhagen Council.

Through a process with meetings and the publishing of book about the conference and suggestionswe finally managed to get 12,2 million Danish Kroner (app. 1,6 million ¤) from the Ministry ofHealth and form a partnership with Copenhagen Council to establish and run a Dugnad CenterVesterbro. Kenneth is part of the board of Dugnad Center Vesterbro and will be responsible forthe interior design of the center.

A documentation of the project is in the collections of Køge Skitse Samling (Danish National Museum of Sketches)and Malmö Konstmuseum.

Protection Room (1/2)- The injection room- Risky injection situations in public space

Nurses Nina Brünes and Charlotte Fich welcomed you at the entrance and supplied advise and equipment.

Different drug injection situations and places. Unhygienic and with great risk of infection,e.g. by HIV and hepatitis. An injection room is a facility with nurses that can precent allthese complications connected to unprofessionel and unhygenic injection.

3. Mobile injection station.Table and chair canbe moved around to fit needs.Two people canhelp each other.

Entrance to injection room.

(Right)2. Openinjection

station. Twousers can sittogether, e.g. to share drug. The bench is long

enough to make it possible to inject in foot.

1. injection station. Givesshelter for those who wantsto inject in privacy. The cabinis open at the bottom so thatnurses can see if you pass out.

(below) Inside is a mirror forneck injection.

The press coverage was great with 30 articles, 10 TV and 5 radio features and all were soberand nuanced. Most were in the indland sections

but also culture sections covered it.

Ministry of Health during lobbymeeting to convince him about

the idea of injection rooms.

The Danish Parliament during 2nd Treatment of injection roomlaw proposal. Got rejected with 60 votes against and 44 for.

Protection Room (2/2)- The political effect- The media debate

Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, MPfor social democrats with whom I

arranged a press meeting inconnection to the project.

Mayor of Social Affairs ofCopenhagen

Nurse Charlotte Fich

Drug user Robert

Nurses, the pressand Kenneth A.Balfelt at the opening24 May 2002

The strategy was to use the “visual inlay” of the injection room to create a media debate in order to activatepoliticians. With a great media coverage and a law being proposed in Parliament this was a succesful way forart to participate in democracy.

Mændenes Hjem (Home of The Men)– Radical Horizontality Interior design and restructuring of café, common rooms, TV-room, canteen and receptionat a shelter for the homeless in Central CopenhagenWith FOS, designer Charlott Karlsson, architect Helle Gade Jensen and Interior designers Loop.2002-2006

The Home of the Men is a shelter for homeless near the central station in Copenhagen. It isa place for men who are both homeless and has a mental and/or addiction problem. The mainpart is drug addicts.

Our purpose was to make the interior design so that a more fruitful, less insecure and lesshierarchical dialogue can take place. Before they had a very unworthy interior as well as aconflict creating reception and entrance area. Most of the violent incidents happen in thereception!

The aim was to play down the "patient-doctor" relationship and more let the individualssubjectivities step out. So that the dialogue is based on equality, common goals and interestsrather than "the institution that wants to change me".

Through a 9-month period we researched for a better understanding of the institution, thestaff, the users, the subject of homelessness and drug addiction. We also looked at otherinstitutions and their architectural solutions and values. From the research we developed aset of values to lead the design process. The working method unfolds the values in a translationinto physical forms and materials.

The following have been implemented:

- New entrance and refurbished old entrance (now back door)- Floor cover – a combination of wood and grey-black linol- Bathroom with colored tiles and a chandelier- New sleeping, counselling and observation room- New windows with opal film with artists images- Caravan meeting room- Oak tables and (low) bar desk- Tiled wall in dining room with big common table- Sculptural room divider for TV room- Wood carved box with draft beer tap with water- Furniture, acoustic ceiling, lighting, face mirror, etc.

Half-roof over the new entrance and easy seating for the TV room are in production.

Mændenes Hjem (Home for the Men)- The former interior- Workshops with the users to define needs and values

What are functional needsof homeless people anddrug addicts? How do wefullfill these as well as givethem a positive identity?

‘Mændens Hjem’ at the corner of Istedgade and Lille Istedgade. Former interior of Mændenes Hjem: Seperate TV-room, Billiard room,Canteen and Café. All are go-through rooms with no where to rest.

From the two workshop withusers and residents. In thefirst we asked for needs andideas. In the second wediscussed ideas and layedout our plans for discussion.

Per, user and resident. Participated in thefirst workshop.

Values

Through a 9 month research period we came to define a set of valuesthat 'enveloped' the purpose of the place in a way that is fruitful forthe design process. They are 'compressions' of the research rapportand our sense of what this project is all about. E.g.:

• Fear is part of being in common• The whole society is to be accepted• Being in common is the safety• The belief in alternative life style• Love• Power should be visible• The structure should not convincingly treatetc.

We also defined a “dogma-like” working process that forces us to usethe defined values as well as work in a non-natural way. The latterforces us to rethink all aspects of the design process.

The new entrance at the corner has opened up thebuilding to the main street. Through a contrast of oldsolid materials (copper and oak) and old citizeninstitutions (church, town hall) and new forms (frame,font, flower wood carving) an unresolved tensionbetween something stabile and something that ismodern, and points forward, is created. This is theinvitation.

Mændenes Hjem (Home for the Men)- Entrance to the institution

The old entrance was through the back of the building, through a dark gate and into asmall claustrophobic room with modest lighting, cold stones terrazzo floor and a “DDRborder control” reception. A glass reception where you could see the staff but not speakto them. The staff then opened the door and asked how they could help. Not only did thesocial workers often chose to stay in the reception on duty but when they entered thecommon rooms they where perceived as guards. The reception area was also the placewhere most of the violent incidents happened!

The FormerEntrance

The New Entrance

Inside you meet a café like situation where people are together. A community.This is a totally new way of “meeting the institution”.

Almost everything is designed and produced from new.

Right:The café with alow bar desk and acentral and warm light“jam jar” chandelierlit-up big oak table.Wooden floor for caféarea and institutionallinoleum road waytowards social workersoffice and nurse. Thearch shows where theold walls where.

Right below: “Jam jar”chandelier.

Below: TV lounge,awaiting easy seating.

Left: Drinking water stand.Islamic wood cutting, Supermanlogo formed sink and Danishdraft beer tap. Sign on topreads “Heroin” which suggestsdependency (of water) and adsa bit of pedagogically humor.

Below: Injection equipment"hand out furniture". Teak on

the outside, as asymbol ofacceptance oftheir choice ofself-medication,and clinicalflecked laminateto suggesthygienic caretaking.

Before, meetingsbetween staff wereheld away from theusers “hidden” inthe basement andcounseling tookplace in a formaloffice where thesocial worker knowbest how tonavigate. We haveplaced this function in the big common room in a self built caravan. The caravanmakes meetings more transparent as well as plays down the formal and clientmaking aspect and frame it more as a dialogue between equals or even friends!

The old dining room was characterised by peopleeating alone. In the new interior a big solid woodendining table is placed centrally. Big enough so youdo not sit to close to others but still you sit withothers and can interact. A large tile-wall fills thewhole side of the dining room and with a Klondikelike roof and desk at the food serving point.

Mændenes Hjem (Home for the Men)- New counselling, sleeping and observation room (former reception)- New dining room- New meeting room (caravan)

The former reception and “DDR border control” has been transformed into a combined short-time sleeping room (1-3 nights), conversationroom and nurse observation room. From the outside the room has a “Mountain Cabin” facade and inside a "sleeping car in a train" theme.

"Flake out" deck chairs as theyare called. Originally designed aspowernappers for business peoplebut ideal for drug addicts andtired homeless: You lie gracefullyand ergonomically correct, youcannot fall out as your shouldersare inside the box, which alsoprovides some sound proofing,and you can have your belongingsunder the chair back.

Café Heimdal – Here you can find shadowPart of the public art project ‘Sid Ned!’ (Sit Down!) curated by Christian Skovbjerg atMimersgade, Copenhagen N, 2006Micro-urban renewal including 8th-10th grade pupils renewing an old local pub.With Sami, Ziad, Muhammed, Markus, Ihab and Özgur

As part of a larger urban renewal project for the quarter around Mimersgade at Norrebroin Copenhagen Christian Skovbjerg initiated and curated a public art project that examinesthe wishes and ideas of the local residents by inviting a group of artists working in the socialfield. The goal was to open up the debate concerning the social qualities, which very rarelyare included in the conventional idea of urban renewal.

For this I invited pupils from a local school to make an interior design renewal at a local pubwith regular typically Danish customers. Traditioznally, urban planning is carried out byresourceful professionals who research the needs of less resourceful groups of people. Iinvited two of these groups, easily stigmatised as alcoholics and immigrants teenager boyswith no future, to meet and make a common project. This project is about renewing ormaking an addition to the pub ‘Café Heimdal’.

The boys interviewed the regular customers about what they would like to see changed. Thisonly led to ideas about minor adjustments as they where immensely satisfied with the waythings were. But the facade could need an uplift.

First, we suggested to paint the facade but the pub owner Johnny hinted that it might betoo big a job and were a bit reluctant to give the go. So we decided to make a new sign.We made a model of a sign in Douglas fir with carved mahogany letters.

After doing the interviews I asked each one of the boys what they wanted to get out ofparticipating in the project. In these conversations one boy said that he did not expect themto be as friendly as they were and another said he expected them to be racistic, which hesaw no sign of.

I told this to one the regulars in the pub and a minute after another came over and commentedthe rumour positively. One of the regulars, a painter, rejected to be interviewed by the boysin the research phase and told me stories about misbehaviours of immigrant boys in theneighbourhood. But after we had asked him for advice on how to paint the facade he beganto advocate towards the owner to let us do the job!

As part of the motivation for joining the project was to exchange school lessons for projectwork it proved hard to motivate the boys beyond these hours. This caused that some of thepub guests felt let down when I worked alone during a school holiday week to take downthe old sign. For the opening only two of the boys came and quickly disappeared again -leaving guests, the press and me in confusion. But the pub and the guests were very satisfiedwith the new sign.

Café Heimdal - Here You Can Find Shadow

The HGO school, Heimdalsgade Café Heimdal, Heimdalsgade

Café Heimdal, Heimdalsgade

Making a model of the new wooden sign

Meeting with the owner of Café Heimdal, Johnny. We presented the result of the interviewsand suggested to paint the facade. Later we agreed to make a new sign for the facade.

Interviewing the regulars aboutwhich changes or renewals theywould like to see to the pub. Weinterviewed 13-15 people over aweek.One regular said she really like theold fashion dark wood look as itwas “a place where you could findshadow”.

The new sign for the facade.

Prison Civile d'AgadezRehabilitation of prisoners, cooperation with Alhassane Amoussale and Mahamat Nakacho2007-

Agadez is a city with 170.000 inhabitants at the edge of Sahara in Niger. In this place I made a cooperative project to set up arehabilitation project for inmates in the Prison Civile d'Agadez. In December 2006 i traveled to Agadez to research for a possible artproject. I interviewed the Sultan of Eire, one of his sons Prince Lacombe, his koranic and legal advisor, Fatima, the head of the women'scraft association, a taxi driver, a waiter that came to be a central figure in the project, the head of the court house and the prisondirector of Prison Civile d'Agadez.

I did not succeed to enter the prison then, but the prison director, Djibrill Noma Sina or The Lieutenant as he is called, and his vice-director, Issouf, gave a two hour long interview where they e.g. said the following: The prison has 250 inmates of which 80-90% arethere due to crimes related to being poor. The relapse into crime is 90%, they have nothing to do at all in the prison and get onemeal a day. The guards close the gate at 19.00 and opens it again in the morning. In this period the 250 inmates are together withoutguards in one big room only with partition walls. Luckily there is no violence.

These information made me decide to work towards a project that recognized and meet the urgent needs but also created a platformto use art in a more vitalising manner. Through my locally based and context related art projects I have developed methods to workcollaboratively within the "space" of art - this in order to suggest art as a profession that parallel to other professions could enter asituation, analyse it and suggest models or solutions for changes.

WIth these methods I went to Agadez again on 27. marts 2007. First I had to get a permission from the Ministry of Justice to enterthe prison. I arrived at his offices at 15.00 in the afternoon. The next morning at 9.00 I had a written permission to make a rehabilitationproject in a prison in Niger! At the same time as I was very happy about this it was depressing to learn that a "white" man can justwalk in from the street and be allowed to make radical changes in a state institution!

The next day I stood in front of the great prison director and had to convince him that I, a social-political artist from Denmark, shouldreform his prison! But we very soon agreed and had a common idea of what was needed. Then I had to enter the prison. It washorrifying. The inmates looked at me with scepticism. But when I began to ask them which profession they would like to learn while inprison their eyes began to light up. The crowd quickly grew around me to around 30 inmates. Carpenter, Mechanic, Taylor, Carpenter,Carpenter, Taylor, Taylor, Mechanic, Carpenter…

From this started two weeks of the most intence work I have ever performed. From early morning to late at night in the Saharan summerheat me and my translater Alhassane Halido walk from place to place, talked and arranged, organised, coordinated, bought equipment,got more than normally frustrated but ended up with a great program. The amount of things we managed to get organised is such ashort time were absolutely amazing and due to an enourmous

Alhassane new an old carpenter who had learned his profession in a prison a long time a go. We went to see him but he said he wasold now and we had to talk to his son Mahamat Nakacho. This was a gift to the project. He had lots of ideas himself and had evenemployed minor ex-prisoners. He became a close friend and a partner in the project.

Mahamat offered his best carpenter and found a taylor and agreed to supervise their work. They all work for a minor fee to cover foodand transport. We also went to Prince Lacome as he was the leader of the local football union. He decided to do the training himselfthree days a week. When he arrived and entered the prison gate the inmates spontaneously began to applaud him.

For the opening of the workshop the Sultan sent a representative, his Prime Minister,

The rehabilitation project consist of the following

- a carptenter education 4 days a week for 4 hours- a taylor education 3 days a week for 4 hours- football training 3 days a week- spiritual advisor- HIV/AIDS Sensitizing- advise on and help with sale of craft (women)

The people selected for the educations where prioritized from the among the poor, uneducated, illiterate and minor.

Prison Civile d’AgadezRehabilitation project with inmates in prison in Agadez, Niger, AfricaCo-operation project with local staff of the prison, forman, teachers, translater, football coach, director of the women, NGO,film man2007 - work in progress

Director of Prison Civile d’Agadez, LieutenantDjibo Noma Sina

From the first meeting with all involved parties inthe rehabilitation project

From the first teaching session in the carptenter workshop.Theteacher Issouf in purple. The students make their own workingtables as well as tables and benches for the taylors.

Inmates teaching inmates. By supplying 3 inmateswith materials we initiated a program where they

tought their craft to others. Left, Richard whoshows his lecture plan and grades given to his7-8 students.To the right a “ring from a coin”

maker.

From the opening of the program. A representativefrom the Sultan came and gave an talk in whichhe reveled that he himself had been in prison.This was something you had to go through to bea real man he argued. It is me in red/white shirtbottom left.

From the prison. 251 inmates. Door is closed from7 pm to 7 am with all inmates locked up in the

same space.

Mahmet, my main co-operation partner. Owns acarpenter company in Agadez and found the carpenter

and taylorteachers. He issupervisor andpays out wages.

List of inmates chosen forthe carptenter workshop.Priorities was given toselect minors, poor anduneducated.

The World Is Yours – The Fish ProcessInterior design and building process with users of Fisken (The Fish), an after school clubfor 12-20 year old immigrant boys.Copenhagen, VesterbroWith designer/artist Mette Høj2006-2007

For a youth club where mainly young immigrant boys come I was invited to refurbish theinterior and façade. I suggested using the project as a process with the boys to empowerthem and be part of changes in their spare time club.

Through a workshop with the staff and individual interviews with the boys we found a gab.The staff had a pedagogical and educational aim for the place whereas the boys justneeded a place to hang out. The told us that they do not have the option to take friendshome in a casual manner as Danish kids do – so they need a place to be.

We therefore decided to make sure the club is attractive enough and competitive with thestreet so that the boys come. We therefore carefully design it on the terms of the boys.

Through workshops, where we presented loads of visual inspiration from which the boyspicked out all the liked. These ideas we put together into a coherent and functional design.

The boys participate in the planning, design, purchasing, sponsorship and building of theinterior.

The World Is Yours - The Fish Process

Theold interiorof Fisken

Kitchen anddinning room

The present facadeof Fisken

Smooking room

Playstation andmovie room

Common roomwith PC’s and pool

Quote from ‘Scarface’and sunset fromthe film posterof Al Pacino

The new interior of the central ‘smooking room’of Fisken andimages from the working process.

The new interior of the playing room with table footballand PlayStation. Found wood collage wall.

The new interior

The old interior

Homeless vs. Empty OfficesVideo workshop, TV-production and TV broadcast with artist PeterCallesen and users of 'The House of the Homeless' Mia S. Mortensen,Steen Flemming Hansen and Michael J. Christensen.Part of 'NB – Lad os mødes' curated by H. Øllegaard and B. Nørggard2002-2003

The video workshop project uses the idea of "turning the camera around" so that thehomeless actively form the perception of reality. Through generating ideas and making aTV-production they can act as subjects and active political operators, and point at problemsthey find relevant.

Together with three users of the House of the Homeless we made a TV programme thatwas broadcasted on KanalKøbenhavn/NTV. The theme was chosen collaboratively and wasabout the many empty offices in Copenhagen that exists side by side with homeless! We(fictively) squatted an attractive empty office building in the harbour of Copenhagen. Herewe stayed for 24 hours to record a reportage about the issue. Afterwards we interviewedresponsible politicians and a real estate analyst. The focus is on the way our societyprioritises and how choices that is beneficial in one context increases homelessness.

The end result was a docu-fiction that used the narrative of the squatting inserted withinterviews to set the situation in perspective.

The artists Peter Callesen and Kenneth A. Balfelt participate in the project on equal termswith Mia S. Mortensen, Steen Flemming Hansen and Michael J. Christensen, all users of"The House of The Homeless".

Peter and I set up the following conditions for our work with the homeless:

- It is the conditions of the homeless that dictates when we meet- We insist on them being active subjects- We are not here to discuss problems but to make a project- We all have the same say in the project- It is a common project

Through the terms we layed out and the process we created we managed to get a verygood process going, although it took 9 months instead of the expected 1-2 months.

A very positive outcome of the project was that the social worker at 'The House of TheHomeless' took on the process we created as a model for working with the self-esteem ofthe homeless.

Homeless vs. Empty Offices

From the video recordings of the squatting of a big empty office on theattractive harbour front. We brought our own sleeping bags and food, andstayed for 24 hours. During that time we both had a good time and madethe needed recordings to fake the breaking in and squatting action.

Editing. Kenneth,Michael and Steen.

Mia filming

Stills from the TV production broadcasted at Kanal København/NTV

The break-in at an empty office building atthe exclusive Copenhagen harbour front.

Disussing the view and how many homelessthe building could house.

Interview with the Mayor of Housing aboutthe empty office situation.

There are 700,000 m2 of empty offices inCopenhagen - and 1,250 homeless!

Resting between takes. “Where is solidarity - thats all we ask!”...theend of the program.

No One Can Wake Up– House Wanted & We Need a Publisher (with Lasse Lau)Part of the exhibition 'Berlin North' at Hamburger Bahnhof, BerlinCampaigns for initiatives by two self-organized alternative structures in Berlin31 January - 12 April 2004

To us, Hamburger Bahnhof is an isolated island with no connection to or representation of itscontext of Berlin. Through our research on self-organizing groups in Berlin we found twoprojects that take on a social responsibility in the Berliner society.

One is the association Fusion that deals with youth work, and daily acts in spaces where thesocial system of the troubled Neukölln gave up. It is an intercultural youth activity club basedon carnival and visual art. In order to create jobs for their youngsters they want to create theirown markets. One idea is to run a youth hostel. It can offer education and jobs for youngstersthat make an extra effort.

For Hamburger Bahnhof we made a presentation of this visionary idea in order to lay pressureon the local and national politician to support the project. The presentation consisted of aposter and a video.

The other is Gesamtkunstwerk Wagendorf Lohmühle that have created a self-organized smallcommunity trailer park where they live together on squatted public land. From here they havecreated a neighbourhood-based public space in a city. As part of their public openness andinterest to interact, they want to publish a book about their 13 years existence.

For Hamburger Bahnhof we made a campaign to find a publisher for the book. We presentedthe book and a prototype of it. A video with information about Lohmühle and their motivationfor making the book accompanied the poster.

The two self-organized projects have in common that they use art for pragmatic solutions ofsociality. It is a tool for them, and for us, to communicate and solve problems in society.

In order to both communicate these alternative ways of using art as a facilitator for socialchange and making the art institution gain a place in society for social change, we decided tomake "campaigns" for these two needs.

The role of the art institution is then to act as a window towards what I would call "implementedartistic and alternative ideas" and offer, by our wish, to be a platform for dialogue. In this casedialogue between a visionary and transgressive youth project and the politicians that needsto allow it to rent one of its buildings to create jobs in a neighbourhood that lacks future, andbetween a community with a book idea and a publisher interested in alternative ways of livingand using art!

No One Can Wake Up (1/3)

Fusion e.V. propose to create jobs for theiryoungsters by creating their own markets.One idea is to run a youth hostel for whichthey need to rent a specific building from thecouncil.

For Hamburger Bahnhof we made apresentation of this visionary idea in order tolay pressure on the local and nationalpoliticians to let Fusion rent the building whenit becomes avaliable in 2006.

Gesamtkunstwerk Wagendorf Lohmühle have created a publicspace that asks questions about what public spaces shoulddo and how art can be used to create sociality. As part oftheir public openness and interest to interact they want topublish a book about their 13 years existence. Also tolegitimise their squatting of public land.

For Hamburger Bahnhof we made a campaign to find apublisher for the book. We presented the book and a prototypeof it. A video with information about Lohmühle and theirmotivation for making the book accompanied the poster.

First designproposal forFusion Youth Hotel

Front page of prototype ofbook about Lohmühle

Public café at Lohmühle. Hoststalks, theater, cinema, organic

growing seminars, etc.Youth work atFusion. Makingart, and talkingabout problemsin the process.

The installation atHamburger Bahnhofconcisted of a poster anda video for both“campaigns”. ForLohmühle also aprototype of the bookthey wish to publish.

(Please see posters onthe next pages.)

(Please see posters on the next pages.)

Immer Wieder VereinigungPart of Urban Cirkulations (curated by Judith Schwarzbart) and Berlin-Alexanderplatz (curatedby Petra Reichensperger ), public art projects in Berlin in cooperation with Felix Meyer, SarahSchoenfeld and Ivalo Frank Jørgensen2005

What structures, systems and ideas from the former DDR can be used in today’s Germany?

From this question, two documentary videos were made and presented in installations at resp.Tuchollaplatz in Lichtenberg and in the S-Bahn station on Alexanderplatz. Both in Berlin.

To me, Germany had a historic chance to unify two systems into one. To use good ideas,structures and systems from the past DDR times and pare them with good ideas from liberalcapitalism. The ideas from DDR did not need to be communistic – ideas spring from manysources. What is important is that every kind of idea has been repressed after the reunion inorder to give way for a total take-over by liberal capitalism!

Immer Wieder Vereingung, that translates something like ‘ongoing reunion’, is about how torevive some of the ideas and systems from the DDR period that could be useful today. Theknowledge production of so many people and with such great efforts must not be buried inthe ruins of a time repressed and forgotten. This because the consequences of the reunionpolitic has been the creation of Germans without a history of contribution to their own society.

To me the DDR period was a doubtful implementation of communism. Marxism and communismcarry in it a focus on community and love as the platform of society rather than on earning,buying and consuming. This focus means that a different evaluation system than the capitalisticone creates an emphasis on people and their interaction rather than on products. An emphasison progress for mankind rather than for products.

What is intriguingly interesting is what this emphasis produced of ideas and solutions on alllevels of life in DDR! This is a hard task though, because the system of fear and repressionfrom the dictatorial government also created situations that led to the development of systemsthat might not be of any use today!

From the interviews it became clear that the former DDR-citizens had lots of ideas to whatcould be used from the DDR times. Some ideas where ready to implement, like the traffic andrecycling systems, and others had a more deconstructive effect, like equal prices on all similarproducts. It was also interesting to hear the analysis of present-day liberal capitalistic Germanyfrom someone who has tried both to live there for 15 years as well as in a socialistic society.

Immer Wieder Vereinigung (Again and ongoing Reunion)

Installation in Lichtenberg inBerlin, Victoriastadt, at

Tuchollaplatz Public posters withideas from the former

DDR-citizens.

Alexanderplatz S-Bahn, Berlin

Stills from documentary video

Interior Design Project for Libraries for Kids in the Santa Marta and Mangueira de Botafogo favelas in Rio de Janeiro.In co-operation with the NGO ciespi and residents of the communitiesDecember 2003 - work in progress

The NGO ciespi runs libraries for children in favelas in Rio de Janeiro to motivate themto see books as a possible tool for knowledge and education.

In co-operation with them I organised a process to change the interior design of two oftheir newly started libraries in order to make the politics and function of the interior worktowards the aim and ideas they have. Together with members of the community andciespi I lead a creative process to make a plan for the refurbishment, how to involve thechildren, what and where to get materials, how to qualify our ideas, etc.

This plan is then set out to be implemented by the communities and ciespi. I have setup a fund of R$ 1,000 (app. ¤ 290) for the realisation of the project. This will take placein January-April 2004.

The purpose of the project was to create consciousness about what space means andhow this meaning plays into the function of the space; To politicise space. We definedthe project to "create a space that would be like stepping into an imaginary world ofbooks that would intrigue children".

This process of 'rendering meaning to the space' was also used to give ownership of thelibrary to the community, both children and their parents, by participating in the project.As well as lead to a process of involvement of the children in the library as they will overtime make contributions to the interior, e.g. paint figures on the walls, make puppets,make interior items for the bamboo house, etc.

Interior Design Process Project (1/2)- Favelas- The libraries (run by ciepsi NGO)

Favela in Rio de Janerio 23% of the 8 mill. inhabitants in Rio de Janeiro lives in favelas.

The work group from Mangeira de Botafogo, ciepsiand Kenneth A. Balfelt (below)

From the work process

The presentlibraries inSanta Marta(pink) andMangueira deBotafogo

Children playing in thelibrary of Mangeira deBotafogo

Brainstorming and ideas for the library asa ‘visual illusion and a way of entering theworld of books’.

Interior design process project (2/2)- Visualisation of Ideas for the Library

Plan drawing of ideas.

Suggested tree house,outside the window - aspace for contemplationand reading.

Visualisation of ideas for the library at Mangueire de Botafogo. Drawing by Klaus Caspers

The room would be diveded into threethemes:

• The house• The rainforest• The mountain

ZDB Skills Archive of Bairro AltoGroup show "Life Policies" at ZDB Gallery, Lisbon, PortugalIn co-operation with Nidia Oliviera, Iva Henriques, Albio Massimento, Susana Antonio,Eduardo Majo, Lara Soares, Antónia SamarelesCurated by Solvej OvesenMay 2002

The ZDB gallery is placed in the middle of Bairro Alto, the old part of Lisbon, where elderlyand retired people live side by side with new fancy bars, restaurants, fashion designers,etc. The Bairro Alto was once known for housing some of the finest craftsmen in thecountry - a lot of which are still living there either as active or retired.

Through a workshop I held I found seven design and art students to collaborate with. Theonly parameter I set up was that it had to be a functional work and that we had to usethe two rooms I had chosen at ZDB Gallery.

We started by making two groups; one that did research by interview and one that didmaterial research. The most interesting findings were that none of the 31 elderly peoplewe interviewed had ever been to the gallery, and the story was that ZDB was a place fordrugs, prostitution, loud music, strange youngsters and blasphemy. It seems obvious tomake an invitation and a proper connection between the old and the new!

From this we decided to make a skills archive that can be used both by artists that exhibitsat ZDB as well as the fancy shop and bar owners. We started with eight craftsmen andpresented their works as well as their contact details in an installation at ZDB.

With the ZDB Skills Archive of Bairro Alto we hope to have created a possibility for theelderly and the art people to meet on common ground, the exchange of their skills, andthereby initiate new stories in the neighbourhood about ZDB.

It is also possible to create a historical consciousness and appreciate the skills of theelderly.

ZDB Skills Archive of Bairro Alto

Bairro ALto in Lisbon,is historically knownfor having the bestcraftsmen in Portugal.

Craftsmen and crafts. Eight craftsmenparticipated in the archive at the

time of the opening.

Installation with presentation of start of archive.

Map over participating craftsmen in the archive.

Wall text about the archive.

Archive, drawers and index cards.

Place de la FleurWith Jeppe HeinPublic sculptures in Lorient, France2005- work in progessFor the City of Loirent (curated by Christian Busnell)

In the meeting point between the Hôtel de Ville, Salle de Spectacle, Stade du Moustoir, LycéeDupuy De Lôme, Centre Aquatique and the Axe we have suggested a gesture: To give a (social)flower in the public space.

Imaging that someone very nice lays an enormous and beautiful flower on the square betweenCentre Aquatique and Salle de Spectacle. This feminine gesture structure and informs our project.

The great axe of Loirent forms a connection between the sea and “Place de la Fleur”. An axe isa masculine architectural form that gives overview, transparency and connects different importantparts of the city. A square is a break in the city infrastructure that can accommodate differentpublic events and actions. The “Place de la Fleur” is a connection point between the surroundingbuildings, their activities and people.

What we have created on this square is a place for the creation and nursing of community. Wewant to create the opportunity for people to meet, talk, smile, kiss, interact and have commonexperiences and sensations. You can stay, pass by, sit down, eat, play, be social, contemplateand saunter. But also meet people you do not know, hide, mirror yourself, crawl in trees, observepeople that interact with water architecture and a lot of other activities impossible to predicts.

This flower is our proposal for a social sculpture that accommodates the possibility of differentsocial interaction and activities.

We have focused on a physical bodily activity that leads to interaction with other people. Thiscreates social space in the meeting between physical sensations, art and the city. We have created“tools” for social encounters to happen more easily.

Place de la Fleur- Public sculptures in Lorient, Francewith Jeppe Hein

The Stalk: An “unwraped” night club inthe form of a fluctuated figur with all kindspossible seating, lying and standingopportunities.

A crawling and hiding area in the form of 4 meter tall woodtrunks that are so close that you can wedge yourself inbetween them an climb to the top and sit.

Leaves: A bench formation, where the inside anoutsite benches overlab so you can listen in orparticipate in conversations

Archive design and organisation by Fos and Kenneth A. Balfelt

We were invited by Rooseum to solve a functional problem: To redesign the FutureArkiv space. Thisin order to energise it and situate it as an active space.

The FutureArkiv is an archive of items selected by artists that work with Rooseum. E.g. books, musicand films. Each artist selects ten items that inspire him or her at the moment. The archive is part ofRooseum's exhibition praxis as they work to decrease the display of art and increase processes anddialogue. The archive is then a generous gesture to offer the audience access to information thathave inspired the artists.

The room was a white cube: Grey floor, white walls and neon lights. This signifies "don't touch", "don'tspeak" and "don't sit". Our aim was then to reformulate these signs for the purpose of a functionallibrary. We e.g. worked with infusing tactility, better acoustic, easy seating, and a coding system sothat all items could be immediately identified. We also designed a sofa that also serves as a roomdivider.

Design of FutureArkiv

Archive for the exhibition "From the Venice Biennale 2001”

The archive

Poster design

Henning Christiansen’s contribution. Minette Vari

Sergei Shutov’s contribution

For the exhibition "From the 2001 Venice Biennial” Fos and Iwere invited to create an archive, design the catalogue andexhibition poster. The idea with the show was to invite sixartists and give them each a solo show together. The artists were Henning Christiansen, UrsulaReuter Christiansen, Liza May Post, Sergei Shutov, Olga Chernysheva, Eliezer Sonnenscheinand Minnette Vári.

We decided to work with the taxonomy of artist archive and invited the six artists of the showto, themselves, decide how the wanted to be represented. It could either be something aboutthem, e.g. catalogues, or something that in some way had inspired or influenced them. Theoutcome was very different among the artists, and very interesting. The archive offered a newexplicit insight into their works as well as an implicit because of the way the chose to representthemselves.

As an example Minnette Vári spend 2 days writing down names of people that had influencedher. It became a list with 2.400 names, more than 70 A4 pages. Henning Christiansen choseto show old LP's with his sound pieces, Ursula Reuter Christiansen a jewellery catalogue forwhich she modelled and Lisa May Post catalogues and exhibition flyers.

The archive itself was a platform inserted into the existing architecture on top of the staircaseleading to the galleries. As an "insertion" it itself served as a new layer and exploration of theexhibition space as well as the archive did.

The archive platform.

The Meeting Room Project (with Fos)Research project, Brandts Klædefabrik and DCA Foundation2001 & 2002

The 'Meeting Room Project' is temporary or permanent redesigns of meeting situations.This to deconstruct the power and social layers in order to create new situations ininformation transferral, negotiation and to create a different personal space in groupstructures. This is done through physical and spatial alterations.

The meeting room is a symbol of the decision making process and has a very anchoredform, structure and program where processes are entangled with norms and values whichare formative for the outcome of meetings. Therefore we need to consider the physicaland effectively social frame for these meetings between people, and work towards releasingthem from past doctrines and encircling paradigms.

With the 'Meeting Room Project' we want to discuss the restrictions and possibilities meetingrooms and situations offer for an organisation's interest. The project is aimed at insertingthe possibility for the meeting participants to reflect on their own place of enunciation. Itis an attempt to make a detour away from the non-performative already written room -where the interaction risks being mere 'wallpapering' on existing structures - towards aperformative space that can be re-written as new every time you use it.

The Meeting Room Project

Layout of Seminar Room, 2001Seminar "The Potential of Art" at Brandts Klædefabrik

For a seminar about the social and political role of art in today's society at Kunsthallen Brandts Klædefabrik we proposed to redesign theroom. The seminar was among other issues about how we structure our life, interaction and society, and we wanted to incorporate that inthe structure of the seminar. We rejected the traditional and business invented way of having talks. This in order to create better possibilities for dialogue through changingthe power and focus centring. As well as allowing different physical forms of participation. There were three modules during the day and each of them had four speakers. When one module was on, the speakers from the othermodules were placed in the audience. This spread the ones that were most likely to speak.

Layout of Seminar Room 2, 2001Seminar "Art & Business?" at DCA, Copenhagen

For a seminar about the the possible cooporation of art and business we proposed to seperate the audience in two halves facing eachother. The organisers of the seminar saw the field of cooperation between art and business as a new one without a real discourse. Wetherefor exaturated this division and made two 'camps'. The result was that the audience faced each other and had to face having eyecontact or avoid it during the whole session. A lot of people knew each other and many body language greetings where send from campto camp. The discussion that was created was animated by the layout, and supported the idea of the seminar.

The seminar was held 4 November 2001 and was arranged by Democratic Innovation, Vestsjællands Kunstmuseum and Danish ContemporaryArt Foundation (DCA).

Speakers

Screen

Gandhi+ FestivalEvents, workshops, seminarer, foredrag, koncert, fredsmeditationVanløse Kulturhus19. januar - 2. marts 20072007 (igangværende)

Projektet ser på hvordan Gandhis tanker kan bruges i dag og tager sit udgangspunkt iGandhis aktivistiske strategier og hvordan han igennem stærkt symbolske handlinger formåedeat lave radikale social-politiske ændringer.

Disse strategier er i en hvis udstrækning de samme jeg forsøger at benytte i min kunstpraksis- at bruge kunsten til at stille konkrete forslag og lave symbol-realistiske modeller, somigennem en kunstnerisk visuel optik kan bidrage til en socio-politisk situation eller problem.På den måde er festivalen en slags materiale research, som når en billedhugger vil afprøveet nyt materiale i en skulptur. De strategier Gandhi brugte om f.eks. ikkevold, konfliktløsningog respekt for "den anden" kan f.eks. indgå i udsmykningen/indretningen af et nyt værestedfor stofbrugere på Vesterbro, som jeg er inviteret til at udføre.

Festivalen består dels af en udstilling, en byrumsposter og dels af en række events. Udstillingener et eksperiment af hvordan et "mødelokale for Gandhi aktioners udvikling" kan se ud. Hvilkerammer og visualitet kan påvirke muligheden for f.eks. ikkevoldelig kommunikation? Det eri dette lokale eventsene skal finde sted.

Eventsene er en række seminarer, workshops, koncert, fredmeditation og foredrag meddiskussion. F.eks. Hervie Syan, en indisk/engelsk komponist/pianist, der oversætter Gandhisikkevolds filosofi til musisk form, Else Hammerich der diskuterer hverdags konfliktløsning,fredsmeditation af Brahma Kumaris, der foretages samtidigt af 250.000 mennesker i 70lande. Se program på www.a-r-d.org/GANDHI

Gandhi+ Festival

Pardon My FreedomDocu-fiction DVD. 11:11 min. Made for AirPlay street gallery, Copenhagen. Curated byLotte Röhe and Sidsel Nelund. With FOS.2006

In the light of the Mohammed cartoon crisis in Denmark this short film looks at therelationship between fear and knowledge regarding Islam. Children from 7 grade froma Muslim school in Copenhagen are interviewed regarding their faith and belief andissues like democracy, integration, racism, etc. which forms the manuscript for 7 gradepupils from the posh Ordrup School who acts this out.

Pardon My FreedomStills from the film

Docu-fiction DVD. 11:11 min. Made for AirPlay street gallery, Copenhagen. Curated by Lotte Röhe and Sidsel Nelund. With FOS.2006

In the light of the Mohammed cartoon crisis in Denmark this short film looks at the relationship between fear and knowledge regardingIslam. Children from 7 grade from a Muslim school in Copenhagen are interviewed regarding their faith and belief and issues likedemocracy, integration, racism, etc. which forms the manuscript for 7 grade pupils from the posh Ordrup School who acts this out.

Indretning og udsmykning af Dugnad Center Vesterbro - værested for stofbrugereMed Tina Saabye, partner i Witraz arkitekter, Mette Høj, konceptdesigner, Karin Dam,proceskonsulent, Michael Lodberg, socialarbejder/Leder af Café Dugnad, Ole Kristensen, psykolog2004-work in progress

Etableringen af et nyt værested for stofbrugere på Halmtorvet. Her har jeg arbejdet med værdier(se evt. ), oversættelse af disse til principper for indretningen, og selve indretningen. Det erforegået i et tværfagligt team med en arkitekt, psykolog, konceptdesigner, socialarbejder og migselv. Selv har jeg bl.a. lavet skulpturelle lamper, film til vindue med tegninger og tekster og flisertil håndvask i caféområde.

Projektet er en fortsættelse af fixerumsprojektet og Mændenes Hjem projektet. Jeg er i bestyrelsenfor Dugnad. Dugnad Centret er et historisk samarbejde imellem en privat organisation (Dugnad)og Københavns Kommune og er Vesterbros forslag til en nyskabende konkret løsning af nogleaf narkotikaproblemerne på Vesterbro. Det er et værdigt fristed i form af et opholds- ogressourcested for stofbrugerne. Mange stofbrugerne i København har ikke noget sted at holdetil. Min rolle har været at oversætte stofbrugernes idéer og behov til visuelle størrelse. Samtat definere stedets værdier og omsætte dem i den fysiske indretning.

Stedet indeholder bl.a. indeholde :

- Café og køkken

- Konfliktløsningsrum - der er mange uløste konflikter imellem stofbrugere, lokale, politik,erhvervslivet, etc.

- Hvilested, bad, toiletrum og lockers.

- Udvikling af skæve jobs. Alternativt arbejdsmarked, hvor stofbrugerne kan beskæftiges ialternative ”daglejerjobs”

- Sundhedsrum der er indrettet til at tage hånd om de sundhedsfaglige behov og med indretningaf fixerum for lovlige stoffer

Indretning og udsmykning, som jeg er med til at lave, har til formål at skabe fysiske rammerfor nogle værdier og funktioner, som endnu ikke har været anvendt i arbejdet med stofbrugerei Danmark. Vi har sammen udarbejdet et helt nyt sæt af metoder som bl.a. afkriminalisering(udvikling af skæve daglejer jobs), konflikløsning (stofbrugere har ingen retssikkerhed da dereslevevis er totalt kriminaliseret), udstødelse (suppekøkken/café der også er åbent for ikke-stofbrugere, fællesbegivenheder med ikke-stofbrugere) og rummelige 'lavtærskel' forhold (dvs.adgang for dem der bliver afvist andre steder - hvor deres afvigende adfærd ses som symptomerpå at de behøver hjælp, omsorg og kærlighed, frem for afvisning).

Café Dugnad- Interior: Lamps (sketches), tiles, window folio

Café Dugnad, Halmtorvet 9 C-D, new doors,atrium courd yard, kitchen, café, etc.

Values - from the interiordesign process.

Deisgn of tiles for sink in Café

Café area. Design of lamps where the idea is to usethings found in skips and second hand shops toinfuse creativity in thinking about how to makeyour own home.

Drawing for window folio for the toilet

Court yard.

Café Dugnad- Exterior: Injection Furniture and Phortals in oak

Oak portals and sitting/playing furniture. How do we create conflict reducing meeting places, where locals residents and drug additcs can meeton common ground. This is the start up. In March/April 2009 we will make a workshop where the different user groups can create morefurnitures.

Cultural Planning for Køge Søndre Havn (harbour area in city in Denmark)- Development of culture plan/strategy for life for the urban development of the industrialharbour area- Video about the existing conditions in Søndre Havn as well as ideas from locals about possibledevelopments2007-2008

Kulturen skal fungere som ’driver’ under byudviklingen af Søndre Havn og Stationsområdet.Derfor har Køge Kommune lavet en samlet og langsigtet kulturplan. Kulturplanen er blevet tilved følgegruppen betående af: Jens Kvorning, professor ved Kunstakademiets Arkitekstskole,Henrik Reeh, lektor ved Københavns Universitet, Kenneth A. Balfelt, billedkunstner, Emil Krøyer,ass. for K. Balfelt, Rune Fjord, kunstner og designer, Michael Lauenborg, centerleder vedKulturarvsstyrelsen, Per Schultze, udviklingskonsulent ved Lokale- og Anlægsfonden, PeterSchultz Jørgensen, byudvikler, Christian Pagh, proceskonsulent, Gitte Grønfeld Wille, kulturkonsulentRegion Sjælland

Søndre Havn er en ny bydel i Køge, mens Stationsområdet udvikles som en nyportal til byen.Samtidig er der stor forskel på, hvordan og hvornår kunsten, kulturen og idrætten skal bidragetil byudviklingens enkelte faser. Følgende er indeholdt:

Livet før byenKunst, kultur og idræt skal på kort sigt bidrage til, at Søndre Havn og Stationsområdet bliverlevende og spændende nye bydele i Køge. Under overskriften Livet før byen kommer kulturplanenmed ideer til og strategier for, hvordan områderne allerede på den korte bane gøres levendeog attraktive for både borgere, nye beboere og kommende investorer.

At bygge den gode byKunst, kultur og idræt skal også på længere sigt være med til at sikre oplevelsen, udfordringenog udfoldelsen ide nye byområder. Derfor sættes derfokus på at bygge den gode by i samarbejdemed de kompetencer, som kan medvirke til at skabe integrerede - og gerne overraskende oganderledes - løsninger for kulturen i bred forstand.

Anlæg for kulturKøge skal have et nyt kulturhus på Søndre Havn. En ny Køge Bio og det børnekulturelle tilbudDen 7. Himmel. Og endelig skal det sikres, at de aktuelle kulturaktører på Søndre Havn - KøgeRoklub, Køge Kano & Kajak Klub, Valkyrien og Tapperiet - også er en del af fremtidens SøndreHavn.

LangsomlighedVi har 20 år til at skabe den endelige Søndre Havn og Stationsområdet. Det giver mulighed foren langsom planlægning, der kan sikre, at den nye bydel planlægges i forlængelse af borgereog beboeres brug af byen. Én af de fremmeste kvaliteter ved Køges eksisterende midtby er, atbyen netop udtrykker borgernes brug gennem mange generationer. Derfor lægger vi op tilmasser af eksperimenter, kreative tiltag, nye idéer, gamle travere og traditionelle tiltag i nyeomgivelser. Områderne tilbyder sig ganske enkelt som frirum, hvor det i forskellige fysiskerammer er muligt at afprøve bæredygtigheden på en given idé eller aktivitet.

Cultural Planning for Køge Søndre Havn (harbour area in city in Denmark)- Participation in cultural planning- Film about the local contexts

Stills from the film: A New City District (En Ny Bydel). Interviews with wither bathers, youth and psychologist. It ends with an fairy tale abouta boy who is not afraid of anyone. When the cow of the family is stolen by a trold he goes there and gets it back with his trust in the good inall creatures only. A methaphor for the wish of the locals to create a city disctrict with good neighbour relations.

5. Generation

Reaching Common Ground• Define and Produce Common Projects• Produce New Paradigms of Acting in Society• Common production of knowledge

4. Generation

Artist as Partner

• Participate in Think Tank• Participate in Development of Fundemental Values and Politics

3. Generation

Artist as Worker. Participate in the Normal Doing of the Company

• Artist Participate in e.g. R&D• Employed in Company

2.. Generation

Capitalise on Artist Goodwill

• Sponsorship• Purchase of Art for Company's Domain

1. Generation

Artist as Instrument

• Paint and Sculpt on demand for Church and the Royal• Participate in State Propaganda

Generationsof Artist &BusinessInteraction

1500 -1900

1900 -

1960-

1980 -

2003 -

©Kenneth A. Balfelt

Research project about how to create a cooperation on equal termsbetween art and business

I have been researching on ways that businesses and artists can research in and produce knowledge about how to improve society.Artists make a lot of often profound research, but that seldom reaches very far or directly benefits society. Companies are very efficientin inventing, producing and distributing products and services but often with a very narrow minded aim. For a company the benefit ofsociety is not the goal rather it is earnings for the shareholders! How can we unite these forces to create an alternative to pure liberalisticcapitalism as well as pure idealistic research?

The chart below shows the different generations of co-operations between art and business. So far, it has always been for the benefitof business and therefore on business terms that the co-operation has taken place. What I propose is to (5th generation) work as equalpartners in projects that research within a value and ethic based paradigm that enables us to produce knowledge and utilities that servesociety as a whole. How can we define a humanistic and holistic way of working?

Part of the research will be made with business researcher Finn Janning and published by Centre for Art and Leadership, Departmentof Management, Politics & Philosophy, Copenhagen Business School.

Please see

www.a-r-d.orgfor further documentation of the projects