Thoughts about life and death have occupied many
artists through the ages. But what does that have to do
with children? Quite a lot! For children also entertain
many thoughts about the subject.
Not so long ago death was a more natural part of life.
Old people and animals would die in the children’s immediate vicinity, and death was a much more integrated facet of their lives. Child mortality rates were also
much higher.
In our part of the world death has grown much more
remote and taboo since then, and we often tend to
shelter or even mollycoddle our children. But is the
easy-going, comfortable childhood life really constructive in terms of developing the skills that enable
children to lead meaningful adult lives? How do we
best prepare children for the barriers and setbacks
they will encounter in life? How do you get them to
stop and feel that they are alive, to be aware of their
existence?
One way of helping them do this is to give them
the courage to reflect on subjects that are difficult,
strange, wondrous, and challenging. Our ambition
with this exhibition is to prompt reflection and happily
we have found that children are much less afraid of
talking about death than adults.
This exhibition celebrates life as much as it focuses on
death. Taking art as our point of departure we wish to
prepare children for living life to the full!
Your thoughts?
We would be happy to hear what you think at
www.smk.dk/livogdoden. Here you can also read more
about courses for teachers, discussion sessions,
general courses, etc.
Book a course or workshop session
Contact our booking department on (+45) 3374 8484
Mondays to Fridays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. or send
an email to [email protected].
We recommend that the children read Wolf Erlbruch’s
book Duck, Death, and the Tulip in preparation for their
visit.
”It [a foal] came out of another horse.”
“Wow,” said little Virgil. “Out of another horse? Really?”
“Yes,” said Oskar. “The horse just dropped a little horse, and
then it had been born and everything.”
“Do you think we also came out of a horse?” said little Virgil.
“I don’t know,” said Oskar. “No-one’s ever wanted to talk to
me about it.” Ole Lund Kirkegaard
Text: Marianne Grymer Bargeman
Translation: René Lauritsen
Graphics: Fie Reffelt
National Gallery of Denmark
/ A folder for grown-ups about the exhibition
What does the room do?
The hub of this exhibition is the Reflection Zone that you
will find to the left of the entrance. The zone takes its
point of departure in the forest, in the tree, as an image
of life – and death. The architecture mimes the cave, a
place where you can be on your own, relax, and think
really deep or really small thoughts. Within its simple,
yet carefully orchestrated scenography the zone offers
a wealth of audio information, film, props, words, books,
questions, maps, etc. The zone brings together opportunities for physical activity and for quiet contemplation.
The objective of the zone’s ”mental gymnastics” is to
qualify our subsequent dialogue about the works of art.
”Exciting spaces challenge us. And so they make us more
active.” Brain scientist Kjeld Fredens
What is it art can do?
Art helps us grow as people and allows us to get to grips
with difficult and ambiguous matters. Encountering
works of art can help us see new perspectives and
venture down unfamiliar roads.
Torben Ebbesen: Seminar about evil (1992-93)
This work works well with young audiences because it
offers such a concrete confrontation with life and death.
Even though the flies in the house live perfectly well on
water and sugar and without any natural enemies they
cannot procreate in there because the space is too sterile. In other words they life in a kind of ”well-fed infertility”.
The children’s initial response is often to feel sorry for
the flies. This creates an excellent basis for speaking
about the basic things we need to live (air, water, food,
warmth). What is the good life?
Eva Tind Kristensen: Sow (2011)
This work has an appealing immediacy, and when
viewed in the context of this exhibition it can also raise issues concerning the boundaries between life and death.
Is life sustained when you stuff an animal? What does a
stuffed animal express? The work is also interesting because it turns our hierarchies upside down. Just as the
King was made a fool of in medieval carnival traditions,
here a pig, rather than a majestic, dangerous animal, is
chosen as a trophy. It makes us laugh. The children’s involvement and laughter promote learning processes in
the widest sense of the term.
Wolf Erlbruch: Original illustrations (2007)
Erlbruch’s illustrations from the children’s book Duck,
Death, and the Tulip are full of detail despite their
simplicity. The cut-out figures are executed with great
precision and are striking in their emotional intensity.
Rarely has death been represented with such expression and humanity. Several children also note the fact
that death is friendly. “The story almost makes you think
that Death is a friend,” says a boy of nine.
The book is available for perusal in the exhibition’s
reflection zone.
Sam Taylor Wood: Still life / A little Death (2001 / 2002)
These brief video works about the transience of life
are inspired by Baroque still lifes, which often makes
references to human mortality. The art of the Baroque
era features a multitude of symbols of the fragility and
fleeting nature of life, e.g. in the form of flowers, fruits,
or flies. The contemporary video work A little death
also features flies, which can prompt interesting
discussions that juxtapose the video works and older
works. Opens January 14, 2012.
Room for more?
The exhibition Life and Death is not a reservation, but
a place where children can stock up on positive mental baggage that they can subsequently use if they explore the Gallery’s collections further. That is why we
encourage everyone to help themselves to the maps
that lead the way out into the collections. The maps
are primarily intended for education contexts, but can
be used by everyone.
Development partners
We should like to direct special thanks to the teachers Mette Lemb Sørensen, Louise Smith and 3. C and
to child psychologist Søren Friis Smith.
Idé og koncept
The exhibition was created by Michael Hansen,
Pernille Jensen, Fie Reffelt og Marianne Grymer
Bargeman.