This last post about my 48 hours in Copenhagen (alternative title – “Did you really go to Copenhagen just for a burger?”) is about possibly the weirdest place you can visit in the city – Cisternerne.
The Cisterns is an old water reservoir found beneath the Søndermarken park in Frederiksberg. For some crazy reason, it was turned into an exhibition space for the Frederiksberg museum – the man who had this idea is a mad genius as it’s one of the most unique spaces I’ve ever been to.
We walked through the park on a wet and humid afternoon on the look out for the entrance to the Cisterns – the tall glass structures which house the stairs down into the reservoir (although one of buildings was closed for renovation when we visited).
Their website seems to suggest that one artist shows there each year, and 2019 was the turn of Superflex; a Danish art collective who flooded the Cisterns for their exhibition, It’s Not the End of the World.
Superflex are best known in the UK for the swings they installed in the Tate Modern. They focus on climate change and dystopian futures and play with this concept for It’s Not the End of the World.
When you enter the pitch black space, you’re asked not to use torches or your phone to light the way, and your eyes do adjust (well, mine did. Husband’s didn’t, so he held my hand most of the way around). There’s a glorious neon sign which illuminates the darkness and reflects on the water. A few other spotlights prevent you from bumping into the concrete walls.
Sidenote – how good is Night Sight on my Pixel 3 phone? It really is so dark down there.
After wading your way over to the neon sign, you walk over to peer into three ‘rooms’ through partially open doors and cracks in the side with light pouring out of them. The rooms are actually flooded decaying bathrooms – super creepy, made even creepier because there were very few people visiting at the same time as us.
Another fun element of It’s not the End of the World – you get super cute welly boots to wear around the reservoir!
The current exhibit runs until the end of November when it’ll close for the winter. Can’t wait to see what 2020 brings.
untold blisses 