CHRISTMAS FOLIAGE

I hate taking the tree down.  The cold months ahead could perhaps benefit from "winter foliage"to tide us over till the tulips of spring.  Here are some inspiring arrangements from the streets of Copenhagen.

POCKET MAGNIFIER

This charming pocket magnifying glass looks to have once belonged to an M. Young who thought fit to inscribe their name on the vulcanite case.  Perhaps the glass was used to examine suspect artworks for forgery or to glean swindles and betrayals hidden in the fine print. From a glass globe filled with water circa 424 BC, the magnifying glass now seems an outdated detective's tool.  However, as the years go by and the eyes go dim, maybe it won't seem quite so Victorian.

WOOL CAP

This past October I was lucky to be in Paris for fashion week. Without the means to purchase the lux wears, I asked around for hot thrift spots to carry out my new-found-style-inspiration. Most people suggested the famous antiques market Clignancourt, until I got to Francoise Montague Bijoux et Vintage Paris.

This small costume jewellery dreamland is located through a narrow courtyard off of Rue Saint-Honore. The displays of 1970s fish pendants and brooches with faces (anything that can look back, I love) told me I was getting close to my ultimate destination. And after several minutes of shoptalk with the owner, Portes de Vanves Flea Market was revealed.

The next Saturday, hundreds of vendors lined the street and only one man sold hats. Of course I was immediately drawn to the fancy baseball cap featured here (chic sportswear is up there with jewellery that can glare). The wool hat in forest green was already purchased in my mind when the vendor explained that this particular milliner made hats for Yves Saint Laurent in the 1980s. I haven’t been able to confirm his claim but I accomplished what most people who work Paris fashion week, as opposed to attend, set out to do: buy some meaningful couture for a bargain.

-Eve Tobolka

MIA MOEGELGAARD

Down a side street off Støget in the shopping district of Copenhagen, I met up with Mia Moegelgaard, an insider at the behemoth fashion retailer, H&M.  Over coffee we discussed fast-fashion, her role in transforming the trade and the importance of the individual within the organization to effect change.

Working in PR and communications for H&M Denmark, Moegelgaard's focus is on the implementation and promotion of directions for the company that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.  She is a drive behind H&M Conscious which strives to not only create garments in an ethical way, but also to be "climate smart", strengthen communities and choose responsible partners.

Moegelgaard's latest project was to launch a global initiative called Garment Collecting;  with an impetus to reduce, reuse and recycle, H&M is encouraging customers to drop off unwanted clothes in any condition and of any brand for repurposing.  The hope is to create a closed loop on textile fibres and relieve the strain on natural resources by manufacturing new clothes from reclaimed goods. Customers are offered further encouragement with a $5 gift card per bag of clothes they bring in.

I was interested to learn what brought Moegelgaard to a career that perfectly suits her analytical mind and knack for people.  With an interest in the relationships between social studies and commerce, Moegelgaard studied psychology and business at the Copenhagen Business School, completing a Bachelor and Masters degree.  While at school she became interested in group dynamics and how a strong team results in happy and successful work environments.

She followed her studies by organizing and participating in case competitions.  During these events, problems would be studied by specially selected groups for intensive 24 hours periods with solutions being offered to a panel of CEO's of major Danish companies.  It was in fact a case study for H&M that landed her current position.  It's clear that her natural talents, passions and interests have aligned to  bring her fulfillment in her chosen job, as well as making real progress in changing our world for the better.

STATENS MUSEUM FOR KUNST

Founded on a history of art-collecting-Danish-monarchs, SMK, The National Gallery of Denmark,  has amassed over 260,000 works of art spanning more than 700 years.  This vast collection can be experienced in the permanent displays of European Art 1300-1800, Danish and Nordic Art 1750-1900, French Art 1900-1930 and Danish and International Art after 1900.  There is also a study room where works from the Royal Collection of Graphic Art can be viewed.  Though it is a large collection, it's not difficult to view all the galleries in a few hours and you're not left feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated.  SMK has worked hard at redefining the museum as an institution that is accessible and interactive.  There is a focus on promoting a creative and reflective society. 

The galleries for Danish and International Art after 1900, located in the modernist extension which opened in 1998, is well curated with an emphasis placed on the interplay between Danish and international contemporary art.  Since 1985 the museum's Danish collection has been supplemented by international art with a specific criteria to purchase works that will have an impact on the Danish art scene.  The extensive collection of French art (1900-30) is on display in the old building.  This gallery is quite remarkable as engineer Johannes Rump donated his collection of French art to the museum in 1927, including 25 works by Henri Matisse.  

Besides the cafe (I recommend finding lunch elsewhere), SMK is an inspiring and well designed museum with an interesting collection and engaging curation.  

Henri Matisse, Still Life with Nutcracker, ca. 1916

Frithioff Johansen, Rainbow Sphere, 1999

André Derain, Still Life, 1913

Auguste Herbin, In the Countryside, Bellevue, Cassius, 1923

Albert Mertz og Jørgen Roos, Richard Mortensen's Motion Painting, 1944

Danh Vo, We the People (Detail), 2013

Danh Vo, We the People (Detail), 2013

Donald Judd, Untitled, 1989

Edvard Weie, Still Life with Oranges, 1922

Wilhelm Freddie og Jørgen Roos, Eaten Horizons, 1950

David Shrigley, Beginning, Middle and End, 2009