Danish culture from your sofa
Culture finds a way. Wherever you are in the world, you can still access the best of Danish culture, with more and more institutions putting their collections online and developing digital collections.
If you’re in the mood to dive a little deeper into Denmark’s art, design, architecture and culture, we’ve got some great resources to help you on your journey.
The Louisiana Channel
Running since 2012, the Louisiana Museum has a video channel full of freely available stories about art and culture. Originally developed to make use of the gallery’s vast network of artists, authors, architects and more, it includes short interviews and in-depth portraits of the likes of Norman Foster, David Hockney, Sally Rooney and Marina Abramović.
Statens Museum for Kunst
What is art if not something to soothe you through hard times? You may not be able to visit Denmark’s National Gallery in person but you can enjoy digital access to the curators’ illuminating (and fun) comments as they take you through the highlights and lowlights in the museum collection online and on social media (@smkmuseum/). It’s also interesting to see what goes on in a world-class art gallery behind the scenes – from artistic detective work to solving practical problems about light.
Designmuseum Denmark
Will design save the day? We can’t promise anything, but if you like Danish design, there are some excellent resources on Design Museum Denmark’s website, including a podcast in English, a virtual tour of The Danish Chair exhibition and downloadable teaching materials. Some of it is in Danish – make friends with online translation options and see where it leads you!
The Danish Architecture Center
Download the DAC’s app and you can experience Copenhagen from the comfort of your own sofa. It’s a great tool for exploring the city’s architecture, and is absolutely packed with ideas and inspiration, from interviews with architects like Jan Gehl to BIG’s exhibition Formgivning hosted online with a VR option if you’ve got your own headset at home.
The Renaissance via Google Street View
Denmark's National Museum is packed with Viking treasure, Danish culture, Egyptian mummies and plenty of wonderful exhibitions to explore - when it's open. Right now, select galleries are offering a little sneak peek of their collections, including this one which allows you to step back in time in a virtual tour of the Danish middle ages and Renaissance period.
