Permanent Lightart Installation in the town Thorsoe, Denmark. Commissioned by Favrskov Municipality and the Danish Arts Foundation. Finished in 2017 as one in three light art projects. Was selected by the community by public vote after a national open call to all professional artists.
Title: Engen / The Meadow
Dried wild plants collected with citizens, epoxy, wood, LED lighting, timer, glassfiber, cement, iron.
Photo: Asbjørn Sand
Production team: Therese Maria Gram
Made in collaborations with the citizens of Thorsoe and the natural surroundings of the town. The 10 meter long bench with local plants, dried and cast in epoxy, lights up at 5 PM every afternoon to signal the end of the work day. It is situated at the community house, playground and grocery shop in the middle of town and functions as a playtool, a bench and a signifier of the time of day. As a status quo herbarium of Thorsoe and its surroundings, I took citizens of the town on a nature walk with a guide to find weeds and edible plants. We talked a lot about the flora and fauna and cooked half of the plants over fire as delicious plantpaddies. The rest I took to the community house and cut, pressed and dried for many months, airbrushed to preserve the colour and cast in numerous thin layers of epoxy with specialist Vagn Iversen.