The beautiful in everyday occurrences, mundane objects brought to life through music and dancing, an art installation that exists in a fleeting moment and is gone before you even realised it was there. If any of the aforementioned sounds like your cup of tea, then you’d better make sure you don’t miss out on the fabulous Metropolis Festival, which starts next Thursday.
Metropolis Festival started as a contemplation of the word ‘metropolis’. The word has been around for about 100 years, but its meaning has perhaps never been as relevant as now, when cities are growing and evolving at a fast pace. The idea with Metropolis Festival, therefore, is to challenge our perception of the city and to explore different possibilities within its space.
The festival has taken place since 2007 and alternates each year between being a street festival and an art workshop where like-minded people come together to develop ideas for the next year’s festival. This year, the event is in festival form, and there are some very interesting events lined up with everything from street theatre performances to dancing and art installations.
The first and probably one of the largest events is simply called Dominoes, and as the name implies, consists of a whopping 7,000 giant domino bricks that will stretch across three kilometres in the centre of Copenhagen. 300 volunteers will work all throughout Thursday to build the route, and at 16:30, the first will be tipped over. It will take about 20 minutes for the entire lot to fall down, so secure yourself a good spot downtown and watch as the biggest domino snake Denmark has ever seen collapses.
Another feature that is sure to turn heads is the popup cultural centre Aeropolis, in the form of a giant inflatable plastic bubble. The creation, designed by the architectural team Plastique Fantastique, will visit several locations within Copenhagen, starting August 4 and running throughout the month. There will be various cultural activities taking place within the 100sqm bubble, such as yoga and meditation, literary arrangements and a silent discotheque. The idea is to allow the public to experience various places of the city in an entirely new way. For example, imagine sitting in absolute silence in one of the busiest squares of the city, or meditating while overlooking the waterfront with nothing above you but the clear blue sky. Aeropolis is open to all age groups and entry is free of charge.
Elsewhere, the production 100% København will take place at the Royal Theatre from August 8-11. Tickets cost 195kr, but if you’ve ever found yourself wondering what the population of this great city consists of, the price will be well worth it. The show (performed in Danish) will attempt to explore who exactly lives in Copenhagen. The statistics are all there: 51 percent of Copenhageners are women, 14 percent are people of a different ethnic origin, and eight percent are unemployed. But who are the people behind the statistics? 100% København will see exactly 100 people living in Copenhagen participating and telling their story in an attempt to better understand the melting pot we live in.
Metropolis Festival is a celebration of both art and performance with something suitable for everyone, whether you’re someone who knows the difference between Monet and Manet, or who is simply intrigued by the idea of giant domino blocks. There will be plenty of events that are absolutely free of charge, so there is no excuse not to get out in the beautiful sunshine and enjoy some first class art.
Metropolis Festival
Various locations, Cph K; starts Thu, ends Sat Aug 31; tickets: various prices, 20% discount available for groups; www.kit.dk
