50 Queens

50 Queens that also should be remembered

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50 Queens that also should be remembered

15. September 2022

Copenhagen

Denmark



STORY

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II – now Europe’s only reigning queen after the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II – is being celebrated with a new art installation in Copenhagen.

 

The project, called “50 Queens,” was created in honor of Queen Margrethe’s 50th year on the throne and consists of 50 blank columns highlighting the lack of memorials depicting women throughout Denmark.

 

According to the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, Copenhagen has 70 sculptures honoring men, 26 celebrating animals, and only five showing women.

 

“This year, we’re celebrating Her Majesty, the Queen of Denmark’s 50th anniversary. And we want, of course, to celebrate her, but we also want to celebrate all the other women throughout history. And some of them are well known, but some of them are not and are forgotten,” explained Svante Lindeburg, CEO of the Golden Days festival, one of the creators of the installation.

 

“So we wanted to put focus on them by celebrating them and putting them on pedestals.”

 

The installation features a ring of empty pedestals circling the bronze statue of King Christian V at the center of King’s Square. Each column honors a different woman from Danish history.

 

Visitors can scan QR codes on the pedestals to find out more information about the honorees.

 

Forty-nine of the pedestals are white; but the 50th and tallest of the columns has a mirrored surface.

 

“The mirrored pedestal is unnamed. There’s no woman represented on the pedestal. And instead it has a question: Who have we missed? And we encourage the public to scan the QR code and nominate a woman that they think should be represented in a statue around Copenhagen or the world,” said Louise Mould, one of the architects behind the installation.

 

“The mirrored material also allows people to see themselves, which I think is inspirational, to see that you or the people that surround you can also have an impact on the world and create, you know, interesting and amazing things that contribute to society.”

 

A plinth honoring “Out of Africa” author Karen Blixen will be transported to the country house where Blixen lived most of her life, and a pedestal for zoologist Marie Hammer will be transported to the University of Copenhagen’s Botanical Garden. A column for Danish painter and transgender pioneer Lili Elbe will go to the grounds of the Sophienholm art museum.

 

The installation is on display for two weeks and, over the second week, some of the columns will be moved to other locations in the world.

 

The exhibition is made together with Meta and Charlottenborg Art museum.

 

The exhibition has been expected to be visited by more than 100.000 people.

 

The exhibition is made together with Meta, Accenture Song and Charlottenborg Art museum.

 

END

SHOT

  • DRONE OF GOLDEN DAYS 50 QUEENS EXHIBITION
  • QUEEN ARRIVING 50 QUEENS ON KINGS SQUARE 
  • QUEEN WALKING WITH SVANTE LINDEBURG, CEO Golden Days
  • POSTER FOR 50 QUEENS
  • POSTER OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN MARGRETHE
  • PICTURE OF PRINCESS DIANA
    (FROM 50 QUEENS PDF)
  • PICTURE OF JACKIE KENNEDY
    (FROM WIKIPEDIA)
  • PICTURE OF AMELIA EARHART
    (FROM WIKIPEDIA)
  • TOTAL THE LITTLE MERMAID 
  • SOUNDBITE SVANTE LINDEBURG, CEO Golden Days
    “So this year, we’re celebrating Her Majesty, the Queen of Denmark’s 50th anniversary. And we want, of course, to celebrate her, but we also want to celebrate all the other women throughout history. And some of them are well known, but some of them are not and are forgotten. So we wanted to put focus on them by celebrating them and putting them on pedestals.”
  • MIRROR PEDESTAL
  • SOUNDBITE LOUISE MOULD, ARCHITECT at BIG.
    “So the mirrored pedestal is unnamed. There’s no woman represented on the pedestal. And instead it has a question: Who have we missed? And we encourage the public to scan the QR code and nominate a woman that they think should be represented in a statue around Copenhagen or the world. But the mirrored material also allows people to see themselves, which I think is inspirational, to see that you or the people that surround you can also be have an impact on the world and create, you know, interesting and amazing things that contribute to society.”
  • PEOPLE TAKING PICTURES IN MIRROR
  • VOXPOP,
    KIRSTEN MOURITSEN. FILM EDITOR, 68
    “I think it should be Karen Blixen, our writer”
  • STOCK FOOTAGE OF KAREN BLIXEN
  • HOW TO SCAN QR CODE IS SHOWN BY LOUISE MOULD, ARCHITECT at BIG.
    WHILE TALKING:
    “So you can use your phone and click the link. And this brings you to the website, allowing you to select and nominate a woman.”
  • PETER HANSEN, 16
    “Caroline Wozniacki”
  • PICTURE CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
    (FROM WIKIPEDIA)
  • JESPER LAURIDSEN, 70, PENSIONIST
    “I would put my wife”
  • WOMAN TAKING PHOTO IN MIRROR MONOLITH
  • VOXPOP, JANNIE DORTHE JENSEN, NURSE:
    “It´s me you have forgotten”
  • SOUNDBITE SVANTE LINDEBURG, CEO Golden Days
    “And when you look around in Copenhagen now, they’re actually more statues of animals than of women. So we wanted to change that. And tip the balance.”
  • STATUE OF DENMARK’S CHISTIAN X
  • STATUE OF WRITER LUDVIG HOLBERG
  • STATUE OF H.C.ANDERSEN
  • STATUE OF THE LITTLE MERMAID
  • SOUNDBITE LOUISE MOULD, ARCHITECT, BIG CONT
    “We spoke about that there are more statues of animals and there of women in Copenhagen and the Little Mermaid sort of sits in between those two. She’s a mythical character. And sometimes represented towards the male gaze in different situations, mermaids, at least themselves. So I think it would be better to pick a woman who was alive and made a huge impact on society.”
  • PEOPLE LOOKING AT WHITE COLUMNS
  • SOUNDBITE SVANTE LINDEBURG, CEO Golden Days CONT.
    “I think it’s amazing to realize that a woman like Karen Blixen, who’s like one of the most famous authors in Denmark, there is a famous, famous movie out of Africa with Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. She doesn’t have a statue. So that can be like a focus point for us, but also for other nations, other cities. So many women have not been celebrated the way that they should have been. And I’m sure if we look back and if we dive into our history, we’ll see a lot of these women come out. And hopefully we can inspire, we can change the history books moving forward. And it can be a new inspiration for all the women and men around the world.”
  • POSTER OF 50 QUEENS
  • STATUE WITH POSTER OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN MARGRETHE IN THE BACKGROUND
  • FAMILY LOOKING AT THE MONOLITHS
  • SOUNDBITE LOUISE MOULD, ARCHITECT, BIG CONT
    “It can go around the world. Yeah, I think this exhibition is simple enough as its concept and its symbolism that it could actually do many things and represent many people. It could represent women in other places. It could represent other minority groups that have been underrepresented. It’s sort of a blank canvas for a reason, and it allows other communities to find their reason that needs a voice.”
  • PEOPLE WALKING BY MIRRORED MONOLITH
  • TOTAL TIMELAPSE OF EXHIBITION

    END

Links:

https://goldendays.dk/presse/

 

Monarchs in the world

https://www.infoplease.com/world/social-statistics/kingdoms-and-monarchs-world