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From February to June 2014 I spent 5 months doing an Erasmus exchange semester in the Design school of Copenhagen. My focus in studying is and always was gathering as much

Erasmus report

Thomas SchneiderSpring semester 2014

Exchange student at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, Design and Conservation.

different experiences as possible. So after my diploma in furniture making at the Ecole Boulle in Paris I knew for sure that I wanted to go abroad, encouraged by an earlier internship in the Netherlands, also

funded by the Erasmus organization. Within a postgraduate program in Paris I applied in Copenhagen as well as some other schools in October 2013.

4 W H Y C P H ?6 T H E C I T Y8 F I R S T D A Y S1 0 L I V I N G I N C P H1 1 M O V I N G A R O U N D1 2 S C H O O L1 3 1 / C H O P I N E S1 4 2 / D O1 6 3 / E S S A Y1 8 E R A S M U S L I V E2 0 P E O P L E2 2 C O N C L U S I O N

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The Erasmus program offers a sheer uncountable number of possibilities when it comes to study abroad. From south to north, east to west the whole European continent can be explored. So I applied for universities in Italy, Switzerland, Finland and of course Denmark. Copenhagen figured as my favorite the whole time. The

Danish design mentality really embraces the traditional craftsmanship, with a great sensibility for materials and sense of poetry. With my background as a trained cabinetmaker I felt that I could benefit from their approach on how and why furniture is made. This little country gave the world a lot of great

designers - not few of them were actually craftsmen – and Danish design is today a renowned brand. A look on the school’s website increased my determination as I could take a look at the latest graduation projects and talks from teachers and students.

WHY CPH?

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Copenhagen is Denmark’s capital and situated on the country’s eastside at the Öresund. It takes less than 20 minutes to cross the Öresundbridge to Malmö, Sweden. In rankings Copenhagen is usually mentioned amongst the cities offering the best living-quality. A mix of modern architecture

and traditional, colored houses as in the Nyhavn area shapes the cityscape. Also the center is often compared to Amsterdam as you’ll find lots of canals and bridges, perfect spots to enjoy the summer. Copenhagen is a metropolis with a very international flair – the Danes speak perfect English - without the

nervous, speedy feeling of other capitals as London or Paris. A quick escape to the beach takes no longer than 10 minutes by subway and the huge amount of green areas, lakes and parks welcome the citizens to relax.

THE CITY

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I took of a few days before the introductory Erasmus meeting in Copenhagen. As I am afraid of flying, I decided to go for the long trip by train. After 18 hours, by night train, high-speed train and ferry, crossing Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, I arrived in winter wonderland. Even the central station looked like a little northern castle in the snow. Fortunately the hostel was situated right next to it: The

Backpacker hostel, which I can totally recommend. It offers clean and tidy rooms, a great staff and a cozy living area for very reasonable fees. Although earplugs are a must, as in any dorm snoring bed-neighbors are inevitable. I spend the first days with Louise, another student from Paris. I barely knew her before the trip since we’re from different departments within the school, but we eventually overcame

those differences and became partners in crime when it came to the daily struggles abroad. Together we explored the city and did some sightseeing, walked around the big lakes that form the border between the center and the surrounding districts vesterbro, norrebro and osterbro, and also to a couple of museums that belong to Copenhagen’s rich cultural heritage.

FIRST DAYS

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As mentioned, I spent first nights in a hostel before I could meet with a Lady called Olga that I had contacted regarding an available room before my arrival. She invited me over for dinner with her husband to get to know each other better. Since her son had moved out of home she was looking for someone to sublet his room to. She is a concert pianist originated from Poland who immigrated with her family to Denmark. The flat was a big 9 (!) room apartment in the northeastern districts osterbro, an upper-class and family friendly area close to the National Art Gallery. As we immediately connected I was very pleased to move in that place. One has to

know that the average rent in Copenhagen is higher than the French standard - as pretty much everything this country – and I was not surprised but still impressed by the monthly 600€ due.

But because of a family visit my landlords had to delay my incoming for a week, an inconvenience they quickly made up to me by introducing me to a temporary host: their cousin Boris Berlin. Boris happens to be one of the most renowned and influential furniture designers of Denmark. Together with Poul Christiansen he founded the studio KOMPLOT in 1987 which since have been awarded many

times. Their creations are part of notable museum collections and their Gubi chair is already considered a Scandinavian design classic. Boris and his wife Maria were kind enough to let me life with them for a week and considered my offer to pay them rent as a serious offence to their hospitality. You can imagine how happy I, who came on this journey to learn about the northern design mentality, was to spend seven days sharing a flat and a lot of time with those wonderful people. Not to mention the following months with my landlords Olga and Dan, which whom I spend numerous dinners and build a great relationship;

LIVING IN CPH

Copenhagen offers a lot of easy and fast ways to travel the city. The bus system is quiet big and reliable on the hours, although I recommend downloading the free app to check on delays or night rates. The same goes for the two metro lines that connect the south to the north, undergoing the canal 24/7. Another

way to cross the water are waterbuses, small ferries that stop at stations along the canal and can be used as regular transportation but also for some sightseeing as they travel the historical harbor and the new opera house. But the best way of moving is on two wheels. The city is one of Europe’s bike-friendliest and if you

want to call yourself a real Copenhagener, than you have to ride! There’re several pages and groups on Facebook for bike trading and an average bicycle is about 700-800 DKK, around 100 €. This represents indeed quiet an investment but most Erasmus students sell them again at the end of their stay.

MOVING AROUND

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The Danish School of Design has an educational project that is very different from my home institution and resembles most likely to a university. A regular semester is divided in 5 week periods. For each of them the students can choose between different project, theory classes or workshops, to build their own package. They include

lectures, workshop introductions and personal meetings with teachers and supervisors, but altogether only a dozen of mandatory hours a week. The rest of the time students have to organize their workload by themselves and study individually in big shared spaces where everyone has his own area. Open 24/7 and accessible with the

student card, those spaces are shared by all Bachelor design students. Working together, discussing the individual projects with people from different departments as visual communication, industrial design and so on, creates strong synergies. I will here list a brief overview on the projects I choose:

SCHOOL

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Cork & Composites

REINVESTIGATING OLD MATERIALS AND

CONTEMPORARY DIGITAL

TECHNOLOGIES

This first 10 weeks project was all about the material cork. Cork has been used by mankind for the last 5,000 years and it is a strategic component used for multiple applications, from wine bottles to aeronautics. Especially in recent years a number of new cork based products were developed in order to exploit the cork industry residues and push the materials properties. The starting point of the project research was to examine the distinct

characteristics of the material. Besides its impressing ecological and sustainable qualities, cork is very “user friendly” and easy to put in a functional relation to the human body.

Embracing the materials orthopedic qualities, I decided to focus on footwear. Creating Footwear nowadays represents a highly technical process that could be considered more of an engineer’s job than of a craftsmen or a designer. But using small scale digital command tools and focusing on the inherent properties of the material to improve them enabled me to realize a platform shoe

that can compete on the market. Based on century old construction principles – a cork core coated with a protecting material - the design evolved in order to match today’s market needs, contemporary production processes and improve the users experience and comfort. The emphasis of the project was mainly put on the production process. Instead of creating an entire shoe, different digital modelling and manufacturing tools enable me to design of a sole, which then was affixed/glued to a preexisting sneaker.

1/CHOPINES

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self-formulated

In the following study period I choose a self-formulated project. You could choose from all teachers at the design school which one you would want to act as supervisor, even from another department. I picked prof. Ole Gormesen, a senior teacher in furniture design. Within this project I aimed to design and realize a piece of entryway furniture, a room that specifically locks the

public space from the private one. The piece of furniture introduced to the space in question was a bench that serves as both a coat rack and place to sit, merging the two functions together to create a contemporary piece that still references the past. A bench is typically used as a place to rest for a brief period of time, allowing the user to remove his shoes same as the coatrack allows him to undress himself and enter the domestic

space, acknowledging multifunctionality as key factor in modern minimal living. Therefore a small deviation – a fold - has been introduced in the overall shape allowing the rack to stand free and disconnected from the wall with a minimum use of space. Realized in black tinted solid ash and steel, it now is used in the flat of a Copenhagener friend.

2/BENCH DØ

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self-formulated

For the final period I took a theory class, also self-formulated. We could choose our own topic of research and discuss our work with a supervisor

so I wrote with an essay entitled “where wre we now” on postmodern furniture design throughout the last decades and its contemporary revival.

3/ESSAY

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One of the best things about studying as an Erasmus student is that you’re never alone. From the very first day the group of exchange students stuck together, and we formed a clique that would explore the city and go through this exciting experience together. Real friendships emerged as we all faced the same struggles and beauties of living abroad.In class, the teachers

usually spoke English to everybody, and the lectures where held in English too. Although on presentation day students were free to perform in Danish. Altogether the Danes speak great English even if they’re sometimes a little shy to use it. The Government offers free Danish classes for all foreigners, but I have to admit that I dropped out after a few weeks. Danish

is a really difficult language, far from our Latin roots. It needs a lot of dedication and motivation to embark on that apprenticeship, and I decided that I rather spent that time enjoying myself and my friends. Even though I witnessed with joy how proud my friends were as they finally were able to order in Danish.Nightlife in Copenhagen is really diverse. As in every metropolis you’ll find something

ERASMUS LIVE

for every taste. On the central station’s western side is the red light district, that has recently been upgraded to a rather fancy area by the transformation of the former meatpacking district. There are some nice bars and nightclubs as the Jolene and Lehrling&Maasteren. Unlike Parisian locations, prices for drinks here a rather

affordable. Another really nice spot is the bodega Malmö. Amongst the city oldest establishments, it is a part of Danish culture. Located on the riverside you can enjoy the sunset and sunrise in short summer nights through the bar’s windows. Or get introduced to the Danish billiard play by drunken sailors. In the city’s northern part, in

Norrebro, are also a lot of nice bars. They have a certain Berlin touch and hanging out there gives an idea why Copenhagen is a renowned fashion mekka.

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Yet another class offered by the school was a one week trip to the salone de mobile in Milan. Along with a dozen other students we flew in and visited different areas of the city were the fair took place. It was an incredible experience to be there for the first time. More than a fair, it is an urban design festival. Schools, start-ups, young studios as well as the big names of the industry gather there every year and invade the streets

with showrooms and parties. From early in the morning till late night we admired great exhibitions, got introduced to off locations and walked our feet off in the salone’s never-ending pathways.

MILANO

I’ve met wonderful people all along this journey. From my Landlords Olga and Dan who were heartwarmingly nice to me, to all my Erasmus fellows and the students of the KADK. It is said that

Danes have a quiet and reserved way, but I must harshly disagree with this statement. People encountered us with a lot of curiosity, willing and wanting to get to know us, and in no time we integrated the Danish student

community. We got welcomed in the best imaginable way, went out together, and had even a big good-bye celebration organized for us.

PEOPLE

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Leaving all this behind on June 27th sure was not an easy thing to do. After just a few months I grew terribly attached to the Danish culture and people

I’d met. I hereby strongly recommend to anyone this trip abroad. It is a once in a lifetime experience; the conditions, excitement, dynamism

and the freedom you’ll encounter as an exchange student are absolutely unique. Go for it!

Conclusion

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