Oct 9 - Student-Led Copenhagen Exhibit Opens in Knauer Gallery
Students in the Art + Design department are ready to unveil a month-long exhibit that chronicles their summer study-abroad experience in Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen: Sustainable by Design exhibits October 9 through November 1 with an opening reception on October 9 from 4 – 7 p.m. in Knauer Gallery, Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center, 817 S. High Street.
“Life changing” and “eye opening” are just two ways students described their three-week experience in Copenhagen, in which they studied the city’s classic and clean Scandinavian design by touring museums and studying its architecture. They also absorbed the city’s culture, including its advanced sustainability practices.
Associate professor David Jones, one of the trip’s faculty moderators says, “This trip to Copenhagen is an immersive experience, tailor-made to serve our graphic and interactive design majors. It is the first study-abroad experience to serve this part of our student population.”
Assistant professor Karen Watkins, another faculty moderator on the trip says, “I think this trip really helped to raise our students’ awareness of the little things they can do in their everyday lives to reduce their carbon footprint. During their visit, students were asked to adopt one sustainability practice. Some took cold showers, others used metal straws, still others chose the bicycle as their primary form of transport for the trip’s duration.”
With the trip acting as the exhibit’s “discovery phase,” students were tasked with putting together an art exhibit, including its design, execution and marketing, all on their own once they returned to campus for the fall semester.
The 11 students worked collaboratively to contribute to the exhibit, which is a sustainability cautionary tale designed to help visitors experience what the students saw overseas. On display are a painted bike paired with go-pro footage that projects on the wall of a student riding a bike through the streets of Copenhagen, a tray details what green roof looks like in Copenhagen, a toilet describes how human waste in Denmark is turned into energy, and a chart depicts the long lineage of Danish chair design. Posters in bold, simple fonts of red and white with cardboard-cut frames use catchy sustainability phrases like, “This is my last straw,” and “I want to ride my bicycle.”
Claire Wade, a Junior from Doylestown, PA says “We want people who see this exhibit to be more aware of what they can do in their everyday lives to reduce their impact, and to then make small changes in their lives that can make a difference.”
Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. For information on all exhibits during the 2019-20 Season visit www.wcupa.edu/arts or https://www.wcupa.edu/arts-humanities/artDesign/exhibitionsEvents.aspx.