Kanalbyen in Fredericia now features a newbuilt multistorey car park, whose interior and exterior are one big work of art created by Kirstine Roepstorff.
HYDRA is a decorative project that envelops the multistorey car park in planting and a unique atmosphere. From large green copper vessels on the roof of the structure, water flows over the buliding, adding a soft, living quality to the hard concrete. On the facade, a giant mosaic eye made of multicoloured glass creates a wide spectrum of sensory effects as it filters the rays of the sun pouring into the building during the day and, at night, the cones of light from the cars spilling into the surrounding urban environment.
Putting Fredericia on the art map
‘It is fantastic that Fredericia now has such a prominent position on the art map. Why should a multistorey car park have to be grey and dull when, instead, it can be a source of light and colour and inspire reflection? That’s the sort of creative urban development that elevates the city and everyday life to a new level, as even the mundane task of parking the car becomes an extraordinary experience,’ says the Mayor of Fredericia, Jacob Bjerregaard.
HYDRA was realized with support from A. Enggaard A/S, Arbejdernes Landsbank, Beckett Fonden, Den Jyske Kunstfond, Ewii, the Danish Arts Foundation and the New Carlsberg Foundation.
About Kirstine Roepstorff
Kirstine Roepstorff (b. 1972) trained at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen and Rutgers University in New York. Today, she lives and works in Fredericia. Among her most recent major exhibition projects are the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and solo exhibitions at Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, Trapholt in Kolding and Museum Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich. In addition, she has created a wide range of significant decorative projects in the public space, including at Dokk1 in Aarhus, Middelfart City Hall, Sygehus Lillebælt and the University of Copenhagen. Her works are represented in many museums, both in Denmark and abroad, including MoMA in New York, Saatchi Gallery in London and SMK - National Gallery of Denmark.
