Dec

Creative Thinking in Copenhagen

by Joyce McGreevy on December 5, 2016

A cyclist crosses a bridge between islands in Copenhagen, an example of the Danish design that makes this city a Capital of Creative Thinking. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Thomas Høyrup Christensen)

Cycle from one island to another in Denmark’s capital city.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Thomas Høyrup Christensen

The Danish Design of Everyday Life

On a map, Denmark’s 400+ islands resemble a dropped plate. It’s a fitting symbol, considering how Danish design breaks the mold. To the east spanning several islands is Copenhagen—arguably, the Capital of Creative Thinking.

“Danish design” connotes minimalist beauty—Arne Jacobsen’s famous “Egg” chair, Poul Henningsen’s pendant lamps, and other streamlined functional objects.

It doesn’t take a tour of Designmuseum Danmark to recognize that Copenhageners appreciate sophisticated simplicity.

Examples of minimalist furniture and lighting, that reflects the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Morten Bjarnhof)

Danish design is known the world over.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Morten Bjarnhof

But Danish design also encompasses creative ideas for everything from transportation to work-life balance, making Copenhagen one of the most livable cities in the world.

City of Cyclists

One of the first things you see are thousands of people crisscrossing the city on bikes. (Don’t mistake a bike lane for a sidewalk though, or it’ll be the last thing you see.) Last year Copenhagen cycled past Amsterdam to claim the title of world’s most bike-friendly city.

Cyclists and pedestrians cross a car-free bridge in Copenhagen, where creative thinking and Danish design influence the daily commute. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Thomas Rousing)

There are five times more bikes than cars in Copenhagen.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Thomas Rousing

More than 60% of Copenhageners use bikes to commute to work, cart around groceries, and attend social gatherings. Politicians cycle to parliament at Christiansborg Castle (a.k.a. “Borgen”). The Crown Prince and Princess shuttle the kids to school in a cargo bike.

The Cykelslangen or "Bicycle Snake" in Copenhagen, is a cycle superhighway that reflects Danish design and creative thinking. (Image © Ursula Bach)

The Cykelslangen or “Bicycle Snake,” offers a shortcut, great views, and optimal traction.
© Ursula Bach

It helps that Denmark is flat as thin-sliced rye, its highest point 560 feet above sea level. Another advantage: a network of 28 bike-only highways. By improving health and reducing vehicle-related costs, the Cycle Superhighway could cut annual public expenditure by 40.3 million euros ($42M).

Libraries for Time Travelers

Danish design integrates past and present. Take Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Library, for example. From the half-hidden garden at Slotsholmen, it’s a red-brick National Romantic style building (1906), a sanctuary of silent hallways, long desks, and rare books, some over 900 years old.

The Royal Library Garden view of the 1906 Royal Library in Copenhagen reflects the Danish design and creative thinking of "Romantic Nationalist" architecture. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Martin Heiberg)

Hidden from the main streets behind Copenhagen’s Parliament is the Royal Library Garden.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Martin Heiberg

Then a wooden walkway leads you into the ultramodern wing, a soaring, glass atrium framed by wave-like balconies. Ribbons of sunlight direct your attention to steeply ramped escalators below.

You are standing in the heart of the “Black Diamond.”

An interior view of the Black Diamond, an ultramodern extension of the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen, showcases Danish design and creative thinking. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Nicolai Perjesi)

Book it to Copenhagen to check out this library.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Nicolai Perjesi

A breathtaking trapezoidal structure of black granite and glass, the Black Diamond extends the old library to the waterfront. It also features a 600-seat concert hall, restaurants, and a bookshop.

The Black Diamond in Copenhagen reflects both sunlight and the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Ty Stange)

Take a beach chair, book, beer or coffee, and relax like a local beside the library.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Ty Stange

But that’s not the end of the time travel. Because in Denmark, citizens can use RFID-enabled cards to visit nearly 200 libraries even when staff are not on duty.

Balancing Budgets and Diets

Copenhagen can be expensive. But it’s bemusing when tourists name-drop Copenhagen’s five-star hotels—and then complain about the cost of a beer.

A gargoyle of a crab in Copenhagen shows how humor and creative thinking influence Danish design. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Only a gargoyle could be crabby in Copenhagen.
© Joyce McGreevy

As Copenhageners know, it’s all about balance. My budget apartment in the fashionable Frederiksberg neighborhood offered a wealth of extras, including a high-tech laundry and a charming balcony garden that writers usually only have in movies. With nearby parks and public transportation, it’s hard to go wrong.

Smørrbrød, or Danish open sandwiches, at Torvehallerne Market, Copenhagen, shows that creative thinking in Danish design extends to Nordic cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“S’more smørrbrød, please!” Torvehallerne Market makes fine dining affordable.
© Joyce McGreevy

So spending a few kroner more for smørrebrød, the traditional Danish open sandwich, won’t break the bank. Besides, that higher tab ensures workers a living wage. As for beer, do as locals do: buy a cold one at a convenience store, sit beside the canal (yes, it’s legal), and enjoy the view. It’s free.

A view of Trangraven, Copenhagen shows how Danish design and creative thinking work in tandem with nature. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

You are never more than a few steps from a beautiful view in Copenhagen.
© Joyce McGreevy

Cashless in Copenhagen

(Danish designed paper currency and coins may be phased out by 2025, as creative thinking influences monetary policy.

Most Danes pay by mobile phone, not kroner.

Speaking of balancing budgets, Denmark is getting rid of money.

Danes use cash for less than 6% of all payments.

Now the city that accepts mobile payments for even the smallest purchases is set to become the first world capital of cashless society.

Critics raise concerns about fraud and institutional control. Supporters say phasing out currency and coins will reduce tax fraud, disrupt black markets, and save millions in minting costs.

It’s Easier Being Green

Copenhagen is on track to become carbon-neutral by 2025. More than 40% of Denmark’s electricity is powered by renewable energy sources. Plans to switch bus lines to biogas or electricity will reduce carbon emissions another 20%.

Windmills on Copenhagen's urban horizon exemplify how creative thinking and Danish design affect energy policy. (Image © Kontraframe)

By 2020, 50% of Copenhagen’s energy will come from wind power.
© Kontraframe

Denmark discourages gasoline consumption with a whopping 180% tax on new cars, but waives this for electric vehicles. Drivers of EVs also enjoy free city parking. Hear that, U.S. cities?

Organic produce at Torvehallerne Market, Copenhagen suggests the creative thinking and Danish design of Nordic cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Named European Green Capital in 2014, Copenhagen leads the world in
organic food consumption.
© Joyce McGreevy

Danish Designed Attitudes

What about Denmark’s reputation as the happiest place on earth?

“I think you mean Disneyland,” says local guide Rekke, citing the place inspired by Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens.

The carousel at Tivoli, the amusement park in Copenhagen, is an icon of Danish design and creative thinking. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Anders Bøgild)

Tivoli, the 170-year-old amusement park in Copenhagen.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Anders Bøgild

She jokes that Hans Christian Anderson, Danish fairytale author and erstwhile Copenhagen resident, invented the genre known as “Nordic Noir.” As evidence, Rekke cites the grim ending of the original “Little Mermaid.”

The final resting place of Hans Christian Andersen is a reminder of this author's creative thinking and the uniquely Danish design of his fairytales. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Andersen’s ultimate fairytale ending? Digteren is Danish for “Poet.”
© Joyce McGreevy

But ask Rekke, “How happy are you?” and she says, “Very. Nine out of ten.” This turns out to be a typical response in Copenhagen.

Making a Living, Having a Life

One reason is work-life balance. By four o’clock, Copenhagen is abuzz with families heading home for the evening. Overtime is discouraged, yet productivity is high.

Hence the Danish word arbejdsglæde, or “happiness at work.”

Office culture is rarely hierarchical and workers speak their minds. (Just don’t boast, even at job interviews; it’s not the Danish way.)

Outdoor diners at Papirøen, or Paper Island, a former storage facility, enjoy the benefits of Copenhagen's creative thinking toward Danish design. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Once a storage facility, Papirøen (“Paper Island”), is the place for global street food.
© Joyce McGreevy

Similarly, Danish government works by way of consensus. No single party holds the majority.

In 2010 Copenhagen’s parliament inspired an idealistic TV series, Borgen, a sleeper hit worldwide. NPR called it “Denmark’s West Wing, but even better.”

Mutual trust is a fundamental Danish value. According to one EU index, voter turnout in Denmark tops 85% and 96% of Danes know someone they could rely on in time of need.

The environs Stork Fountain, Copenhagen showcases the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Ty Stange)

Newly graduated midwives dance at Stork Fountain. In Denmark, taxes are high,
and benefits cover college tuition, medical care, and more.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Ty Stange

Remember That Dropped Plate?

Trust may explain why one quirky custom remains popular in Copenhagen. Every New Year, Danes toss old dishes at the doors of friends. The higher the pile of broken plates, the more you’re loved.

An assortment of Nordic cuisine on Royal Copenhagen plates at Restaurant Kronberg, Copenhagen exemplifies the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Ty Stange)

The Nordic diet emphasizes sustainably produced, fresh local foods.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Chris Tonnesen at Restaurant Kronberg

Oh, I see: From broken plates to bicycle highways, open libraries to cashless culture, work-life balance to falling carbon levels, Copenhagen may well be the Capital of Creative Thinking. Danish design encompasses everything from environmental stewardship to freedom of expression.

Now, how does creative thinking influence your way of life?

Enroll in a free University of Copenhagen class on the Nordic diet here.

Tour the world’s most bike-friendly city here and here.

Borgen is now available on U.S. video sites.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 3 Comments

Clever Ideas/Crossing Cultures/Denmark

Nov

Have You a Party Piece?

by Joyce McGreevy on November 14, 2016

Kiaran O'Donnell and Rick Chelew play guitar at a small gathering, carrying on the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Sharing our gifts turns strangers into friends; Kiaran O’Donnell and Rick Chelew had just met.
© Joyce McGreevy

What an Irish Tradition
Can Teach Us Today

It was known as the party piece, a “bit of an auld song” or spoken word. Would we have called it an Irish tradition? Probably not. As students in Galway, sharing songs, stories, and poems was just something we did on Saturday nights.

But the tradition goes back centuries, notes Irish historian P.W. Joyce. Ancient Irish sagas depict hospitality to travelers as a social virtue, and guests reciprocated with music or spoken word. “Like the Homeric Greeks, the Irish were excessively fond of hearing tales and poetry recited . . . Every intelligent person was expected to know a reasonable number.”

Thus it continued, into my “ancient” college days. Go on now, give us your party piece, friends would say as we lingered after one-burner suppers served on coffee tables. “Mountains of Mourne” was a favorite.

Musicians at a jam session in pub in Galway, Ireland reflect the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image by Damián Bakarcic)

If you visit Ireland, bring along a song or a story to share.
“Jam Session in Galway Pub, Ireland” by Damián Bakarcic, CC-BY-NC-4.0

A Poem

Reciting a poem went over well, too. Back then, practically everyone I knew, student or not, had a few verses filed away in the old memory bank. Had I the heavens embroidered cloths . . .

It wasn’t like you hunkered down at a desk to memorize them, mind. You’d simply hear something and if it touched a chord, you’d hold onto it, the way a magpie works shiny foil into its bower.

Hikers on a scenic road in Ireland become a metaphor for the Irish tradition of sharing stories, songs, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Life’s rockiest road is navigable when we share it in stories, songs, and poems.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Story

Some party pieces were stories. The best were scraps of real experience that had been well embellished. Lace-edged in mystery. Beribboned with bright hyperbole. The beadwork of everyday dialogue polished into priceless gems with every retelling.

Oh, you could cut yourself on that wit, someone would say. It’s the way he tells ’em, someone would chime in.

Three women taking tea and trading stories at Glebe Gardens Café, Co. Cork, reflect the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing stories, songs, and poems. (Image © Rick Chelew)

Sharing anecdotes and laughter at Glebe Gardens Café, Co. Cork.
© Rick Chelew

A Moment

Here’s what a party piece was not about: Narcissism.

Your moment would not go viral. The technology that transformed selves into selfies was still decades away. We didn’t take photos or make recordings.

As student renters, we didn’t even have landline telephones.

Yet we always knew where the gatherings were. The “sociable” network functioned by way of knocks at the door, the tea kettle kept at the ready for impromptu visits and invitations.

A decorative teapot in Galway, Ireland symbolizes the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A few cups of tea can flower into a gathering.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Welcome

Meanwhile, back at the party, a newcomer from the States might hesitate on being asked to sing.

Sure, it doesn’t matter if you’ve a voice like an old crow, someone would tell her. We’ll all join in, another might add encouragingly.

Oh, I see: Sharing a party piece wasn’t about competing to see who was the most talented. It was about willingness to participate, to add some ingredient of your own to the stone soup of the evening.

A "face in the crowd" in Dublin, Ireland and a gift-wrapped building evoke the need for the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Sharing the gift of our experience creates connection.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Joy

So when someone began to sing “My Lagan Love” or “Bye, Bye, Blackbird,” it didn’t matter a whit if there was more rasp than lilt. The melody came through clearly via memories the singer stirred in us.

The greater joy was in being there together, none of us ready yet to call it a night.

A glowing fireplace in Dublin, Ireland sets the scene for the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A cozy fireplace in Dublin sets the scene for music and storytelling.
© Joyce McGreevy

Your Presence Is Requested

Today, even amid the multi-modal distractions that are as ubiquitous in Ireland as everywhere else on the planet, the Irish tradition of the party piece lives on.

A lot of the sharing now finds its way online. But at heart it’s still about presence—passing the tokens of our shared humanity from person to person.

Not fame. Not showing off. Not monetizing an experience. But about giving whatever you’ve got and showing up to honor what others give, too, be it heartfelt or hilarious, wise or whimsical.

A dog eyeing treats in a Dublin parlor evokes the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems, including shaggy dog stories. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A shaggy dog story makes a great party piece.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Wish

So here is my wish for you: One evening may you find yourself in a home where musical instruments are as much a part of the furnishings as crockery and sofa cushions. May there be apple tart and good company.

A homemade apple tart in Galway goes well with the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Our gifts are sweetest when they are shared.
© Joyce McGreevy

At some point, the piano or fiddle will sound, and the concertina and tin whistle will come out of their cases. But nobody’s forming a band, only forging a bond.

The tales begin telling themselves. The poems, memories, and songs emerge, like shy ponies crossing a field.

Two friendly Irish horses symbolize subtle aspects of the Irish tradition of the party piece, sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

They have come gladly out of the willows/To welcome my friend and me…
From James Wright’s poem “A Blessing”
© Joyce McGreevy

Somebody volunteers a song about love, by turns joyful and poignant. When they falter—whether from forgetting the words, or remembering the past—a neighboring singer takes up the thread.

Kieran O'Donnell and Rick Chelew play guitar together, carrying on the Irish tradition of sharing songs, stories, and poems. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Gathering

The song goes around and around, until every voice has been gathered in. There’s room for everyone.

Call it an Irish tradition, though we were never so formal as all that. We were just doing our party pieces. Finding our human commonalities by sharing songs, stories, and poems. What party piece might you share when next you gather with family, friends, and friends-to-be?

Read the cited poems in their entirety here and here.

Comment on this post below.

Joyce McGreevy 13 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Ireland/Language & Culture

Oct

Aha Moment: Halloween!

by Joyce McGreevy on October 31, 2016

A 19th century, bat-themed French Halloween costume offers an aha moment about Halloween around the world.

In 19th century France, Madame goes batty for Halloween.

Goblin Day Goes Global

What’s as changeable as a costume shop and has more frequent flyer miles than a witch’s broom? Halloween, of course.

An ancient tradition that’s as new as this season’s marketing trends, the popularity of Halloween around the world is soaring. An agile shapeshifter, it both adapts to and changes the way cultures celebrate.

A vintage ghost-themed Halloween sign offers an aha moment just right for Halloween around the world.

Halloween’s treats can be tricky!

But just when you think you’ve captured the essence of Halloween—solemn, scary, crass, or silly—it surprises you. Read on for an aha moment or two on global Halloween trends, tricks, and treats:

1. Even the “re-branding” of Halloween is ancient.

“There’s a popular misconception that Halloween is a modern American invention. Not so,” says Irish educator Brendan Smith. Its roots are firmly in Celtic culture.

But, adds Smith, modern Americans were hardly the first to “re-brand the festival. In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church created the Christian festival of All Hallows’ Eve or All Souls’ Day, when people were asked to remember and pray for their dead family members. This event was superimposed onto the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain.”

Actors from Macnas performing in Galway, Ireland trigger an aha moment about Samhain, which led to Halloween around the world. (Image © by Darach Glennon)

2. The first jack-o’-lanterns weren’t pumpkins.

Pumpkins are native to the Americas. So what preceded them in Halloween’s early days? To find out, let’s summon up the ghost of English folklorist Jabez Allies, who died in 1856:

“In my juvenile days I remember to have seen peasant boys . . . hollowing out a turnip, and cutting eyes, nose, and mouth therein, in the true moon-like style; and having lighted it up by inserting the stump of a candle, they used to place it upon a hedge to frighten unwary travelers in the night.”

Sugar beet lanterns carved into Jack-o'-lanterns in Germany trigger an aha moment about the diversity of Halloween around the world. (Image by Niklas Morberg)

German jack-o’-lanterns follow their own beet.
“Sugar beet lanterns” by Niklas Morberg (Flickr) CC-BY-NC-2.0

Tall tales also describe how an Irishman named Jack devised such a method to find his way back from Hell. (We won’t ask how he got there.) Hence, the jack-o’-lantern.

3. It’s the most hygge-ful time of the year.

As Halloween spreads around the world, each culture has put its unique stamp on it. Japan has had a love-hate relationship with Halloween. Romania plays up its Transylvanian tourism at Halloween.

In Denmark, the holiday drew little notice until 1998 when a local tabloid advertised Halloween-themed events. Today, Halloween is popular, and the Danish version is all about hygge. Loosely translated, that means “coziness.” Think candlelight, baked goods, and hot chocolate.

Carving pumpkins as a family has become so popular in Denmark that sales of pumpkins soared from 15,000 in 2001 to over 800,000 in 2015.

A little girl with Halloween pumpkins at a produce market in Copenhagen, Denmark exemplifies an aha moment about Halloween around the world. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

4. Halloween’s got a global theme song.

In 1962, there was “Monster Mash,” a novelty song that became #1 on America’s Billboard Top 100. It got banned by the BBC as “too morbid.”

Flash forward to November 14, 1983 and the premiere of a 14-minute music video: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Since then, as the Web went public and flash mob videos proliferated, “Thriller” has had a major impact on how we celebrate Halloween around the world.

Louisiana revelers create an exciting aha moment at the Halloween Zombie Walk in Shreveport, an example of Halloween around the world. (Image by Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau)

In Louisiana, the Halloween Zombie Walk is a no-brainer for ghoulish fun.
Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau licensed under CC BY 2.0

From Tulsa, Oklahoma to Torrevieja, Spain; Derry, Northern Ireland to Wellington, New Zealand—even a BBC news room in London and a retirement community in Elk Grove, California—dressing up for zombie dance-offs has become a global Halloween tradition.

A 13,000-strong "Thriller" flash mob in Mexico City triggers an aha moment about Halloween around the world.

In Mexico City, a flash mob of 13,000 “zombies” dances to “Thriller.”

5. Halloween’s greatest superheroes are your neighbors.

On Halloween 1950, milk cartons labeled Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF gave kids the (super)power to make the world a better place.

It began as a coin drive to help kids affected by World War II. Today, young trick-or-treaters collect donations to help children in areas impacted by poverty, war, or natural disaster.

Meanwhile, a growing number of communities are marking Halloween by scaring away hunger. Across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., Halloween food drives have become increasingly popular events.

Whether this will counter another Halloween trend—the annual spending of $350 million by U.S. pet owners on costumes for animals—remains to be seen. But it’s a move in the right direction.

A White House cat in costume circa 2007 sparks an aha moment about Halloween around the world.

A White House cat is disenchanted by its wizard costume.

My aha moment? Halloween around the world is all about contradiction—our very human impulses to get and to give, to uphold traditions and to reinvent them, to dress up as make-believe monsters and to save humanity from real-world horrors. Oh, I see: The actual magic hides somewhere in between.

A Macnas street performer and costumed girl share an "aha moment" in Ireland, likely birthplace of Halloween around the world. (Image © Darach Glennon/ Darachphotography)

See last night’s frightfully fun Macnas Halloween Parade in Galway, Ireland here!

Learn more about Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF or find your local food bank here.

Learn Halloween greetings in Irish, American Sign Language, and other languages.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 1 Comment

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Creative Thinking in Copenhagen