JEPPE HEIN – WATER PAVILION

JEPPE HEIN – WATER PAVILION

Jeppe Hein’s spectacular new installation Water Pavilion Ordrupgaard is visible already upon arrival in the foyer where the delightful and lively movements of the cascading water spark curiosity and lead the eye out into the park. As a festive prelude, attention is thus drawn to the park’s sensuous art experiences which run parallel to the classical presentation of the galleries. With Water Pavilion Ordrupgaard the museum also adds another iconic work to the park’s ever-growing collection.

Jeppe Hein (b.1974) has made a name for himself internationally with participatory artworks that encourage the audience to playfully engage with art and to start a dialogue with each other. At the crossroads between art, architecture and technical inventions Hein creates works that are usually rooted in a simple pared-down idea, and often in one or more geometric shapes. The artistic expression thus harks back to the conceptual and minimalist art of the 1970s, but Hein’s works are intended for interaction and are meant to be experienced physically. They thus have intuitive appeal to both children and adults – typically containing an element of humour and one or more moments of surprise. The water pavilion provides an additional opportunity to not only see the surroundings from unusual vistas, but also hide inside the water enclosure. 

LIQUID ARCHITECHTURE

This is also the case with Water Pavilion Ordrupgaard which is built around an oval outline from which numerous jets of water create water walls that alternately rise and fall. The water walls, which arrive at a maximum height of 2.2 meters, are constantly moving, creating new, ever-changing spaces that you can choose to enter, only to find yourself surrounded by a wall of cascading water. Whether you choose to walk about in the pavilion dry-shod or jump straight into the waters depends entirely on your temperament and personal inclinations.

A SOCIAL SCULPTURE

“Ideally, the installation promotes communication and empathy among the people who choose to let themselves be embraced by the circle of water,” states Jeppe Hein.

Water Pavilion Ordrupgaard also forms a spatial constellation where children and adults can feel connected through play. This also applies to those of the visitors who do not already know each other. For the collective experience will give rise to new, spontaneous encounters across generations, just as cultural and linguistic barriers will be broken down in the direct sensory encounter with art. In addition, you become aware of your own as well as other people’s boundaries: How far will you go when playing along? Do you step right into the work, or do you remain on the periphery?

A NEW INSTALLATION IN THE ART PARK

The water pavilion is a beautiful addition to the park’s other works, all created by high-profile contemporary artists with play and interaction in mind. Here touching, climbing and jumping on the art is allowed, making the park’s works a refreshing complement to the more traditional museum experience inside.

Jeppe Hein is already represented with two works: 1 Dimensional Mirror Mobile, 2009 and Semicircular Mirror Labyrinth II, 2013.

The park also includes works by Olafur Eliasson, Terunobu Fujimori, Carsten Höller, Klara Kristalova, Henry Krokatsis, Randi & Katrine, Tomas Saraceno, Simon Starling, Doug & Mike Starn and Eva Sørensen.

ABOUT WATER PAVILION ORDRUPGAARD

The oval outline of the water pavilion is divided into four internal water walls by water jets shooting up from the ground. The water walls reach a maximum height of 2.20 meters and randomly rise and fall, thus creating different spatial constellations.

Materials: Water, jets, nozzles, iron grating, stainless steel, electric pumps, programmed control.
Dimensions: 220 x 1200 x 1000 cm.

Water Pavilion Ordrupgaard has received generous financial support from Nordea-fonden.


About The Founders

About The Founders

Ordrupgaard was built in 1918 by Wilhelm and Henny Hansen. The couple and their adopted son Knud made their home in this magnificent house, designed for them by the architect Gotfred Tvede. The extensive gardens that surrounded the home were laid out by Valdemar Fabricius Hansen after the English model.

An insurance director by profession, Wilhelm Hansen was in many ways a modern man whose democratic views have continued to prompt approval among latter-day observers. He met his future wife while teaching the constructed international language Volapük. And it was he who introduced the principle of social insurance in Denmark, enabling people of all walks of life to take out insurance. A passionate art collector, he and his wife created one of Northern Europe’s most distinguished collections of French and Danish art. By mutual agreement, they opened their French collection to the public, offering a fixed weekly opening day. Beginning in 1918, the public have been welcome to visit the French collection in the galleries at Ordrupgaard. In these private, intimate, relaxed surroundings, the Hansen couple created Denmark’s first modern art museum. The hang reflected the couple’s personal aesthetics rather than the chronological principles that prevailed at the time.
Not long afterwards, the collapse of the Landmandsbanken bank in 1922 compelled the couple to sell approximately half of their precious French collection to pay off the debts. The Hansens offered the Danish nation the chance to buy the collection at a bargain price, but their offer was refused. Wilhelm Hansen was a skilled businessman, and in just a few years he managed to rebuild large parts of the collection. Henny Hansen survived her husband, and she bequeathed Ordrupgaard and the entire collection to the Danish nation. Accordingly, in 1953 Ordrupgaard opened as a state art museum.

Wilhelm and Henny Hansen on a boat trip around 1903-06

Wilhelm Hansen at Ordrupgaard, 1918

Henny Hansen at Ordrupgaard

Portrait of Councillor of State, Wilhelm Hansen by Julius Paulsen, 1926

Portrait of Henny Hansen and her son by Julius Paulsen, 1909