Smørrebrød !

all done! i'm the one with the head down...

25 June 2012

On the day of our case study presentations, we were relieved that at least that portion of the program was finally over. It wasn't that bad really. Personally I love case studies. Probably because I don't have to frustrate myself over my own designs and being my own worst critic. But nonetheless, I was very, very, tired from finishing the project late the night before and coming in a bit early that morning to to some last minute printing and diagramming. But the results were great and our review went without a hitch. Well, almost without a hitch, we had to practice a few times to get the presentation just right between the 4 team members and known who said what.

And that was that. Part one of the summer study abroad program over.

After the presentations were done, a few of us from the program, including all of the team members from Holy Cross Chapel (us), headed over to get Smørrebrød- Denmark's imfamous open-faced sandwiches  I was rather excited, and this was actually my first time eating out in Copenhagen. So off we go to a nearby Smørrebrød shop near Strøget (pronounced something like "Struo"..... kind of like that. Danish is like the French of the Scandinavian languages. Probably worse than that).

Domhuset Smørresbrød storefront.

Anyway, the little sandwich shop that I found myself in was Domhuset's Smørresbrod shop (don't even try googling that place because no results will come up. Strange). For 13 kr. a piece (approx $2.25), it was a good price, considering that many other smørresbrød places will charge 15kr-18kr. a piece. These sandwiches are definitely worth a try. Just pick anything. Seriously- anything will be good.

Personally I don't even know what I chose. I just pointed at whatever I caught my eye. Pronouncing what it was was near impossible. Trying wasn't even worth it.

These little things come wrapped like a simple gift

I don't remember what this was, but it was interesting. Not bad at all.

This one was my favourite. I can still taste it! Creamed eggs on a split meatball!

Frilandsmuseet: I'm a time traveler now.

21 June 2012

Those three drawing sessions as mentioned here was to prepare us for a field trip to Fridlandsmuseet just outside of Copenhagen. I didn't know that they were going to require us to draw so much. I thought that it was going to stay within the sketching courses, not beyond that. But sketch we did, as much as I just wanted to lay on the grass and enjoy the Danish air of the more-or-less countryside outside of Copenhagen.

Don't get me wrong, I love to draw, but not when it is forced upon. At least I felt personally rewarded when I was done with a sketch.

Most of these traditional homes have been actually dismantles from their original site and have been reconstructed at this open-air museum. Some are from the 1400's. Some even as "modern" as the 1800's. All impressive nonetheless because of the greenroofing, thatching, programming, brick details, etc. There were even windmills! There was even a house with seagrass roofing! These Scandinavians had green roofs down before the whole "green" movement decided to make it big...

But as I mentioned before, I am quite meticulous with my drawings, and it resulted that at one point, the group left without me, and I had to walk around Fridlandsmuseet for about half an hour. I even tried communication with an older Danish woman asking if she saw a group of students. She at least picked out the word "student" and pointed me towards a general direction. Alas! I found my classmates! I thought I was going to have to camp out in one of those huts or something. It was too early in the program to get lost like that.

Sketch like your life depends on it...

@ Copenhagen's Cathedral. Focus: light.

The class schedule at DIS is not consistent. We had to constantly check Blackboard for our daily schedules. It wasn't based on a block schedule, but rather on a lecture schedule. So every lecture class had a different lecture on a different topic, and we had 3 sessions of sketching class during the entire session- all within one week. The only class that was consistent was studio. Otherwise, it was annoying having to check the schedule on a daily schedule.

@ Thorvaldsen's Museum

But this sketching class was something else. I thought we were going to learn how draw, or at least techniques in drawing. Rather, it was a very, very, short lecture on drawing methods for architects, and off we went to a museum to sketch. I felt bad for the students in Information Design because, well, they are clueless as to how to draw in an architectural manner. Then again, there are architecture students who can't draw to save their lives. Every one of the three drawing sessions had a different focus: color, light, and something else that I cannot remember. I tried my best to forcefully sketch something. The professors would ask for a few sketches, typically no less than 3 or 5. I would usually underachieve only because I am just so meticulous with drawing. It's good and bad at the same time.

inside Thorvalden's Museum.
The colors are exquisite... hence the focus: color.