REPEATING LETTER FROM LAURITS
Q&A – interview by Astrid La Cour, 2008.
How do you relate to the lake as an exhibition space?
MHA: The Lake is a small oasis in the city space; a place where you may stop on your way passing by, letting your eyes rest for a moment. I look at the lake as a contemplative space, a place for reflection and it is this state of flux that is the starting point for my work for the lake. But at the same time also the historical atmosphere around the lake that is reminiscent of an old village pond despite the fact that it is not so old or a natural occurrence. In relation to the title of the exhibition trilogy my work relates to the mental reflection – that something is reflected in man´s encounter with the space just as something is reflected in the water of the lake.
How do you relate to the element of the water?
MHA: I exploit the supporting quality of the water and let the sculpture float on the surface of the water. My starting point is a papercut letter. A letter whitout words. The work is cut out of wood and floats flat on the water as an ornament but without being completely symmetrical, as a flower but without it raising up, or a big leaf that has fallen from a tree, but the colour points in a different direction as does the completely flat form. There are references to nature and water as a reflection of a floating, mental state. And to the letter that has a private maybe even intimate message from one person to another.
How do you relate to the historical identity of the place?
The intimate atmosphere at the village pond-like lake made me think of the past. The letter which is the actual starting point of the work is a picture of reflection but also a manner of address that is antiquated, passé. As told by the historical Møstings Hus and the lake. In my work I look at this story in a contemporary form.