Floating artwork spreads in the Metro
Facts about Jeppe Hein's balloons
- A total of 17 balloons in the colours green, blue, red, purple and yellow have been set up at the Kongens Nytorv metro station.
The balloons are made of glass fibre reinforced plastic with chrome paint. - They measure 40 x 26 x 26 cm or 50 x 34 x 34 cm.
- The work has become a reality with financial support from the Niels Wessel Bagges Art Foundation, which also had the idea for the artwork in the Metro.
- Jeppe Hein's balloons also decorate La Guardia Airport in New York.
Facts about art in the Metro
- Hundreds of works of art have adorned the green fences around the metro construction sites in the capital over the past 10 years.
- The Byens Hegn project has transformed the large construction site fences into giant canvases for a wide range of art installations.
- On the first metro lines M1 and M2 - and now also M3 and M4 - the art has moved into the metro station itself.
- At Kongens Nytorv, Jeppe Hein's balloons float, and in two of the bicycle basements (Forum Station and Kongens Nytorv) passengers are greeted by colourful works and photo art.
- On the upcoming metro line to Sydhavn, for the first time ever, art has been incorporated into the metro construction from the very beginning.
- When the five new metro stations open in 2024, each station will be decorated by five different artists.
In 2017, the artwork ‘Coloured Mirror Balloons’ by renowned artist Jeppe Hein moved into the Kongens Nytorv metro station. With three floating balloons in beautiful colours, the artist invited the thousands of passengers to lift their eyes from their daily routines and look up. Now the work is completed with 14 new balloons that have spread to the platforms of the M3 line and M4.
‘With the last balloons in place, my work in the Metro is complete. When people see the balloons hanging and floating, they may want to follow them. The balloons create connections, just like we humans do. With the work, I wanted to play on changeability and temporariness and contribute to a different experience of public space. I want people to embrace a sense of wonder in the midst of a busy everyday life - and I hope that the work can contribute to new ways of relating to the world, the people around us and ourselves,’ says Jeppe Hein about his work.
‘Coloured Mirror Balloons’ has become a reality with financial support from the Niels Wessel Bagge Art Foundation, which also came up with the idea for the artwork in the Metro. According to Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, chairman of the foundation, the project is first and foremost an attempt to move art into the public space and give people an experience of how they can also encounter art.
‘We are very happy and proud to be able to support art in public spaces. Every year, the Niels Wessel Bagge Art Foundation awards honorary grants to Danish artists, and being able to give Danes an art experience on their journey in the Metro is something very special to us. We've been working with Jeppe Hein and Metroselskabet for more than 5 years on this project, so we couldn't wait for the work to be completed,’ says Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg.
The 17 colourful balloons hang in selected locations in the station under Kongens Nytorv and meet passengers on their way to and from the Metro. With the completion of the work, it will become a landmark for the thousands of passengers who use Denmark's third-largest station every day.
‘Jeppe Hein's work is both beautiful and marvellous. It gives us all a different perception of the space we are so used to travelling in. We would like to thank the foundation for its idea and support for the project, which has made it possible to give our customers a very special experience when travelling with the Metro,’ says Rebekka Nymark, CEO of Metroselskabet.