Exhibition on the walls of Vesterbro // Erik Berglin – The Bird Project
Exhibitions in public space // 1 to 11 June
This year's headliner at Copenhagen Photo Festival photographer artist Erik Berglin (1980, Sweden) invites you to spot the 12 birds spread out around the walls of Vesterbro.
In connection with this year's Copenhagen Photo Festival’s theme Rewilding, the artist Erik Berglin has scattered a part of his 12-year long photographic project The Bird Project in the city.
Straight out of (old) ornithological magazines, these birds have been re-photographed, printed at real size, cut out and glued on the walls of the buildings in this very urban area of Copenhagen by the artist. The total project contains more than 4,000 photos and has already toured some of the world's largest cities.
The Bird Project is a conceptual work that questions the authenticity of photography. In his practice, Erik Berglin pays as much attention to the process as to the final result. This art project questions the visual impact of such colourful birds on the Copenhageners and raises awareness of the rewilding of cities by animals and the artificiality and consequences on the ecosystem of such a practice.
Erik Berglin has been selected among 250 participants from all over the world, through an open call on this year’s overarching theme ‘Rewilding’ which contributes to the conversation about sustainable urban development and sustainable art in public space as part of Copenhagen being UNESCO World Capital of Architecture in 2023.
The public space exhibition in Vesterbro is supported by Vesterbro Lokaludvalg and Dansk Ornitologisk Forening.
Berglin’s bird homage to Audubon
Image credit: Erik Berglin from The Bird Project
The Swedish photographer artist Erik Berglin, who is one of the headliners at the festival center, is giving a very special birdwatching tour in collaboration with Dansk Ornitologisk Forening (Danish Ornithology Association) on Vesterbro 2 June. The artist will take us scouting for exotic birds on the urban walls of Vesterbro. The tour and urban bird exhibition is part of the artist's 12 year long The Bird Project that has rewilded cities across the globe with life size exotic birds.
Join us for a unique and exotic birdwatching tour of Vesterbro Friday 2 June when one of the festival headliners is taking us for a rewilding tour of Vesterbro spotting exotic birds on the city walls.
Over a period of twelve years the Swedish photographer artist Erik Berglin wheat-pasted hand cut photographs of birds in cities all around the world and now in connection with his exhibition at Copenhagen Photo Festival he has done the same thing in Vesterbro.
Rewilding cities across the globe with life size birds
For The Bird Project each bird is made in natural size and placed in a carefully selected location and then documented by the artist. In total Berglin placed no less than 4982 photographs of birds that were wheat-pasted in twelve cities all around the world.
“I sourced ornithology books in antiquarian bookshops and libraries. Suitable images were scanned, edited and reprinted. A few years into the project I learned about the American ornithologist John James Audubon’s monumental book Birds of America, from 1838,” Erik Berglin explains.
Inspired by Audubon’s Birds of America
“I was fascinated to learn that Audubon had also worked with bird illustrations in scale 1:1 (just like I had been doing on facades). It had taken Audubon 12 years to complete his book, so I decided to turn my project into an homage to Audubon and keep it going for 12 years and then I made a book with the same dimensions as Birds of America (100x 70 cm).”
“Remember to bring binoculars”
For the 2 June tour Eric Berglin will take us through the streets of Vesterbro to spot out the more than 20 exotic birds in life size around Vesterbro. During the tour he will talk about the species we find, about their natural habitat and his project rewilding the cities around the world. The project combines ornithology, storytelling and street art/street photography the photographer explains and for the tour he reminds participants: “Remember to bring binoculars”.
The Bird Project is supported by Vesterbro Lokaludvalg and Dansk Ornitologisk Forening.
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What: Art tour in Vesterbro with photographer Erik Berglin
Where: The tour takes off from Naturbutikken, Vesterbrogade 138, 1620 København V (home of Dansk Ornitologisk Forening)
When: 2 June 4.30-5.15
Go to event
Art tour // The Bird Project // Tour of Vesterbro with Erik Berglin and Dansk Ornitologisk Forening
Art tour // 4.30-5.15 pm
Join us for a unique and exotic birdwatching tour of Vesterbro Friday 2 June when one of the festival's headliners is taking us for a 'rewilded' tour of Vesterbro spotting exotic birds on the city walls.
Over a period of twelve years the Swedish photographer artist Erik Berglin wheat-pasted hand cut photographs of birds in cities all around the world and now in connection with his exhibition at Copenhagen Photo Festival he has done the same thing in Vesterbro.
For The Bird Project each bird is made in natural size and placed in a carefully selected location and then documented by the artist. In total Berglin placed no less than 4982 photographs of birds that were wheat-pasted in twelve cities all around the world.
For this tour Eric Berglin will take us through the streets of Vesterbro to spot out the more than 20 exotic birds in life size around Vesterbro. During the tour he will talk about the species we find, about their natural habitat and his project rewilding the cities around the world with photographs of life size birds. The project combines ornithology, storytelling and street art/street photography.
The Bird Project is supported by Vesterbro Lokaludvalg and Dansk Ornitologisk Forening.
___________________________________
What: Art tour in Vesterbro with photographer Erik Berglin
Where: The tour takes of from Naturbutikken, Vesterbrogade 138, 1620 København V (home of Dansk Ornitologisk Forening)
When: 2 June 4.30-5.15 pm
NB! Dont forget to bring your zoom lens or binoculars!
Exhibition // Erik Berglin - The Bird Project
“The Bird Project”, that Erik Berglin will present at the 2023 festival edition, is a long-term work that he created over a period of twelve years, between 2006 and 2017. He wheat-pasted hand cut photographs of birds in cities all over the world. The birds, which were all in natural size, were placed at selected locations to then be documented photographically by the artist himself.
At the end of the project, 4982 photographs showing various bird-species, were wheat pasted in twelve cities around the world: Gothenburg (2006) Berlin (2007) Tel Aviv (2008) Casablanca (2009 New York (2010), Reykjavik (2011) Madrid (2012) Malmö (2013) Rio de Janeiro (2014) Buenos Aires (2015) London (2016) and Stockholm (2017). The process for the project began by sourcing ornithology books in antiquarian bookshops as well as libraries. Appropriate images were first scanned, then edited and reprinted again. The next step revolved all around cutting out the images with scissors and a scalpel in order to free them from the paper. This project combines various fields, such as ornithology, storytelling and street art/street photography.
The festival headliners 2023
Image credit: Nanna Heitmann
Copenhagen Photo Festival is happy to announce the six solo artists who have been selected as this year's headliners at Copenhagen Photo Festival 2023. This summer, photographs will literally be sprouting all over Copenhagen, when the selected six photographers engage with the theme rewilding and present us with new perspectives on an important, current topic.
The six solo artists exhibiting at Copenhagen Photo Festival 2023 explore this year’s theme rewilding in the widest sense of the concept and the complexities it entails. From the rewilding of nature to climate issues and diversity to the rewilding of other spheres e.g. bodies, society, social structures or art in itself.
From Magnum and AI photography to rewilding street photos and flower portraits
Each artist present their own perspective on rewilding and engages with it in an intriguing way – from classic photography techniques , AI technology, 'rewilded' street photography to portrait photography with a green twist, critical climate narratives and documentary photos, where stories about identity, healing and belonging sprout in new ways.
The six announced solo artist for the 2023 festival are:
Rewilding dilemmas
The concept rewilding refers to a process of letting nature regulate itself without human interference. Instead of ‘caring’ for nature in a way that serves human purposes or profits, rewilding seeks to restore, repair, cure or even heal nature in a sustainable way that serves nature in itself and aids our gasping climate and biodiversity. The concept has flourished in recent years and proposes solutions but also contests existing (man-made) structures and power relations.
We look forward to presenting the works of each artist with a solo exhibition at our festival centre on Refshaleøen or in the public space of Copenhagen.