LGBT History Month: Axel and Eigil Axgil

For LGBT History Month, let's honor a trailblazing pair: Axel Axgil (3 April 1915 – 29 October 2011) and Eigil Axgil (24 April 1922 – 22 September 1995) were Danish gay activists and a longtime couple. They had the distinction of being the first gay couple in the modern world to enter into a registered partnership following Denmark's legalisation of same-sex partnership registration in 1989, a landmark legislation which they helped to bring about. They adopted the surname, Axgil, a combination of their given names, as an expression of their commitment.

Axel and Eigil Axgil, the first same-sex couple in the world
to receive legal recognition and rights under a national law.
Copenhagen, Denmark. October 1, 1989.

R.I.P. Axel and Eigil, I hope you are together, whatever form you now take.

BEAUTY: Drawing--Per Adolfsen

The light, sketchy, bucolic images of Danish artist Per Adolfsen feel so right for summer...and they are all created with colored pencils utilizing a hatching and cross-hatching technique. Beautiful.

https://www.instagram.com/peradolfsen_artist/
https://www.artsy.net/artist/per-adolfsen

BEAUTY: Painting--Benny Dröscher

What an extraordinary view Danish artist Benny Dröscher presents to us in his paintings--we lie under a slender birch or elm, looking up the long trunk to the sky. But the view is peppered, like a dream, with floating mushrooms, branches, feathers, lines, and random color patches.

https://www.instagram.com/benny_droscher/

Winter World 2020

New York, New York, Dec. 16, 2020

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England

Quartier Petit Champlain, Quebec, Canada

Paris, France

Monument Valley, Arizona, USA

London, England

Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln, England

Killingerhaus, Idstein, Germany

Edinburgh, Scotland

Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark

BEAUTY: Photography--Peter Ravn

The crawling men in the photographic work of painter Peter Ravn capture the mood...

Artist Statement:
"My work is about the basic existential conditions of relations, interactions and the relationship between the individual and authorities and the norms of society. About the conversation a person has with him or herself throughout life. Nobody hears this silent conversation because it takes place within us. To get closer to this, I eliminate the exterior just as ‎I try to avoid contemporary identity markers in my figures.

I am preoccupied with the human ability, or should we call it disposition, to rationalise after the event and attribute a deeper meaning to our often rather arbitrary life choices. Doubt and regret in a grown and dignified person’s life is almost taboo, to stop and confront this takes courage and has consequences. On the other hand, doubt about the doubt is gnawing in the background if you continue as if nothing had happened, and often this course of action comes at a great price. This conundrum is present in the psychology of the individual and its existential search, but also in the western way of thinking, and in our streamlined societies where we are rarely presented with alternatives to conformity."

Indeed, Ravn's suited men seem to be victims of conformity, crawling from the weight of it all, hoping to slip away unnoticed from its despotic eye.

https://peterravn.com/

The Copenhagen Islands

Danish architect Marshall Blecher is planning a new type of public space that will float in Copenhagen's harbor. Called The Copenhagen Islands, the series of floating sections are made of materials that are both sustainable and recycled. They will be an ecosystem of their own, featuring endemic plants, trees and grass above the water which provide a habitat for birds and insects. Underwater, anchor points give seaweeds, fish, and mollusks a new home. The area will be completely free to use and the islands will be moved seasonally between underutilized and newly-developed parts of the harbor.

https://www.marshallblecher.com/copenhagen-islands

The New noma

The phenomenal Dutch restaurant noma (previously here and here) has reopened after moving to a new location. In 2003, head chef and founder René Redzepi opened noma in a dockside location in central Copenhagen and the restaurant went on to earn two Michelin stars as well as the coveted number one position on the "50 Best Restaurants In The World" list not once or twice but a staggering FOUR times. And after nearly fifteen years in that dockside location, noma moved about a mile away to a new location earlier this year.

Original to this new site is a long concrete building that was a sea mine depot (Søminedepotet) built at the start of the 20th century. Today, the structure, along with the Fortifications of Copenhagen, is a protected national landmark and noma was allowed to add only where there had been original structures that were demolished. So Bjarke Ingels Group, the architects for noma, renovated the long concrete building and created a collection of additional buildings based on the Nordic sæter, a farm or plot of land with a cluster of individual buildings with individual functions.

A total of 11 spaces are densely clustered around the kitchen in the old Søminedepotet, which oversees the guest areas, including the main and private dining rooms. These buildings are connected by glass walls which let in natural light, connecting diners to nature and the seasons, something integral to the dining experience at noma and Chef Redzepi's philosophy. And the beautiful, typically understated Nordic interiors were designed by Studio David Thulstrup.

Along with the new location, Chef Redzepi has adopted a thrilling seasonal menu. However, this is no ordinary seasonal menu. Instead of the traditional four seasons we usually identify, he and his team have identified THREE distinct Nordic seasons, which still supports the regional food idea...only more refined. Redzepi elaborates that the first season is Winter in January, February, March, and April when the ground is frozen. The kitchen will turn to the ocean to present a condensed menu of sea proteins supported by a generous winter larder and whatever hardy plants survive the frost.

Spring rolls in around May through a bit of September (with admitted micro-seasons) and the restaurant will feature a vegetarian menu, showcasing the glorious bounty of the earth. The menu will expand and although each course will be smaller, there will be much more of them.

And finally, Redzepi considers Autumn to span September through December and the source of food will be the Scandinavian forest with its riches of mushrooms, berries, nuts, and wild game. Again, the menu will condense and feature fewer but richer flavors.

What I find most exciting though, and this is the designer in me talking, is that Redzepi has said not only will the food change with each season, but the cutlery, plateware, and table settings will reflect the mood and sense of each season as well! What a gorgeous idea...one that I practice in my own life and design.

http://noma.dk/
https://big.dk/
https://studiodavidthulstrup.com/