Well I have arrived in Copenhagen yesterday. So much was going on I did not have the time to stop and write out a post. As soon as I arrived, I made it over to Copenhagen’s central city where I checked into the hostel, which was followed by an orientation. After the orientation, the fun started. We were all assigned the following assignment; follow someone and see where it takes you. So, without too much thinking, I got my bike and set out to do that very thing. The first person I followed had me going into very crowded streets as well as dodging cars and baby strollers. Later I found out that one should walk their bike instead of riding a bike. Lesson learnt! This person I was followed eventually got off their bike and went home, leaving me in the very southern part of the central city by the meat packing district. The next person I followed took me back up north. They were mainly on the street; this was good because I felt more comfortable in this setting. This also had me interacting with other bicyclist on the road which made see how the whole “system” works. Our professor mentioned how riding in the cycle track is similar to a stream, the bicyclists are like water flowing around obstacles. Me being an obstacle at some parts along the way, the other bicyclists would just go around me continuing their journey without a hitch. Being in this environment did not intimidate me, more then anything it comforted me, and I felt safe. Another thing that I liked about this experience was that everyone was going at their own pace, because of how the system is set up no one is rushing to get from A to B. This is because there are hardly any stop signs and the bicyclist have their own set of lights.
Today, I set out to go the Danish Design Museum with the featured exhibit on Danish Chairs. Yes, just chairs and they were some nice chairs. Along with chairs they had more items that have defined Danish design ranging from bicycles to coffee pots. This museum show cased the Danes values in design; quality, simple yet detail oriented. Seeing these values was eye opening to me, I feel like American society often gets caught up with cheap quality and how quick it can hit the store shelves which takes away from the longevity of the design. The photo I am sharing today is from the Danish Design Museum. This chair is a replica of the two-part shell chair designed by Hans J. Wegener 1963.
– Chip
