The American artist Spencer Finch (b. 1968) is one of the leading figures in the contemporary art scene. He has exhibited around the world and has created a number of monumental works of art for the public space, including the critically acclaimed installation Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York.
Sensing the world
Prior to creating the decorative project for Aalborg University, Spencer Finch carefully studied the scenery surrounding the university. The just over 300 specially designed glass sheets that make up the installation are installed near the large glazed section of the Create building, where they both blend into and offer an interpretation of the view of the Limfjorden strait. Synchronously with the natural world outside the windows, Spencer Finch’s bustling glass installation varies in character with the varying light and weather conditions throughout the day.
‘With Spencer Finch, an international star artist has landed in Aalborg. His large glass installation is beautifully integrated into the new university building. The work is like a feather that tickles one’s cheek, demanding that we be present in the moment and our immediate sensing of the world. It makes us notice the clouds outside the building and the morning mist rising up from Limfjorden,’ says Stine Høholt, member of the board for the New Carlsberg Foundation.
Air currents in the large room cause the glass installation to move gently in a subtle rhythm that similarly reflects the natural variations outside the building.
‘Spencer Finch has integrated multiple elements in this work of art, and the combined result is formidable. The installation engages in the most beautiful interplay with the interior of the building and the strait outside. It is constantly changing and has a huge impact in the room,’ says Per Michael Johansen, rector of Aalborg University.
