One part of any town or city that is generally ignored by the average Joe in the street are the rooves, the sole purpose for being out in the street being either as a route between point A and B and back again, anything above the level of the window displays, unseen and deemed generally as unimportant, for me this is not the case, as modernism, renovation, advertising and corporate logos tend to alter and change even our oldest streets and houses the upper levels and rooves retain the buildings history, most notably in its tiles gutters and chimneys.
Although I was seeking new directions and inspirations in Copenhagen I was still drawn to the skyline and was immediately captured not only by the care and cleanliness of the old but also a seemingly passionate need to replace like with like where rennovation and replacement were concerned.
also there seemed to be an array of tile colours that matched the buildings, which in themselves now demand a new palette to depict the colour of Copenhagen, what a bright and colourful city it is. In stark contrast to the ultra modern architecture the old is quite striking and unique, each blending in with each other quite beautifully.
coming back down to the level of the road the pavements, pretty much everywhere the most memorable part of the city is the number of bicycles, as far as my aged memory would allow, notwithstanding there seemed to be even more bicycles than in Amsterdam a perfect excuse to prompt a return to this Dutch City if only to allow comparison.
with a population of around one and half million (http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/tourist/about_copenhagen/practical_information/population/) many people living working studying and traveling within a relatively small island I have little doubt that but for this form of transport being the norm it would be a far dirtier, more congested and traffic damaged city, functionality and care of the city aside I was absolutely amazed at the range of designs colours and uses for the humble bike with additions to the bog standard design allowing for many uses even as mini taxis ( prompting a quick memory jolt back to my days in India).
The remainder of my second day was dominated by the Copenhagen Fashion Show, my first ever, a hive of artistic activity as stage changes took rapid effect between shows, as rapid as any stage set, changed a quite realistic woodland into contemporary cat walk then into a display that was as much about the laser lights production as it was about the clothes, throughout music pumped out at a volume that even dominated my ever present tinitus and, rather than being annoyingly nauseating brought a welcome break.
Well, there is much more I could write but I will stick to painting, until the next post thanks for following with hopes I can bring more, any requests on a postage stamp please, have a nice day
