One of the stated goals pf Haslev Idrætsefterskole is to challenge the students physically, spiritually and academically with a focus on the individual, the group and novel experiences. This focus guided Erik Steffensen’s decorative project for the lecture hall, which consists of four large photographic works and a new two-sided stage curtain in a red and blue palette.
Mountain landscapes and silhouettes
Each of Erik Steffensen’s four photographic works measures 290 x 170 cm. They are in a monochromatic red scale and hung two on each end wall, placed eccentrically towards the side wall. The photos add a contemporary but also harmonious expression to the classic look of the hall as well as an evocative, mystic element with their images of distant mountain landscapes and silhouettes of human figures. Together with the two works in the corridor leading up to the hall, a red and a blue portrait of a person seen in profile, the photographic works bring a dreamy atmosphere to the hall.
The stage curtain features a wide-screen image of a mountain landscape. The side facing the hall is red and shows the sun rising over a mountainscape. It offers a view of a distant horizon as well as a functional stage curtain that frames the hall in combination with the four photographs. The back of the curtain is in a cool blue palette. The intimate backstage space thus has its own curtain, which, unlike the side facing the hall, is not intended to produce a warm atmosphere. Instead, this smaller space should offer a place to unwind and take a break, whether from performing on-stage or from homework and other everyday activities.
Room for dreams and contemplation
The lecture hall at Haslev Idrætsefterskole is a generous architectural space. It is also a space that invites social and creative expression as well as contemplation. Erik Steffensen has created a decorative project that matches the physical and spiritual qualities of the space. The simple colour scale and the appealing images offer a space for contemplation both for the individual student and for the community. And as windows to an as-yet unknown world the artworks invite dreams and visions.
About the artist
Erik Steffensen (b. 1961) graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1992, where he was also a professor from 1998 to 2007. Steffensen is a painter, photographer and writer and often incorporates multiple techniques in his art. He takes a painter’s approach to photography, and his work reflects inspiration from art history, art theory and the aesthetic of nature. He is represented in several major Danish museums, including Arken, ARoS, Louisiana and SMK, and has held solo exhibitions both in Denmark and abroad.
