Deep Forest Art Land = Family + Nature + Modern Art
Station LYR by Elle Klarskov Jørgensen
Family
Deep Forest Art Land combines several things that families today are looking for. We are a hike, a social meeting place, a new experience, an opportunity to relax mentally – and we provide this for the entire family.
Nature
In Deep Forest Art Land, you will find a unique and varied nature – from the dark and mystical coniferous forest to the light green beech trees, from the hilly glacial landscape to the meadow with its blooming diversity and babbling brook.
Here, you will experience both a cultivated landscape and wild nature. Here, the beautiful is allowed to coexist with the ugly; fallen trees remain where they fall, and biodiversity in all shapes and sizes is given space to thrive.
Sospiro by Thomas Wolsing
Fallen Moon by Peter Land
Altar in the Woods by Ole Tersløse
Modern Art
In Deep Forest Art Land, modern art is exhibited directly in nature. Here, artists have the opportunity to create their works on-site, for the site – bringing something entirely new to the Danish modern art scene.
It is a space reminiscent of the sculpture parks you can experience in other countries. Here, however, the works do not stand in well-manicured gardens, but freely in the wild. They are not understood through intricate explanations or lengthy expositions, but through an interplay between nature and our own experiences, encounters, and personal references.
Artists are invited to bring their usual practice into unfamiliar surroundings, and visitors have the chance to experience art as it is created. They are involved in the process, requiring the artist to engage with them as well. The place, the nature, and the people play a crucial role in the artistic process. The work is therefore not just site-specific. It becomes situation-specific, nature-specific, and people-specific.
The story of Deep Forest Art Land
Deep Forest Art Land was created in 2010 by visual artists René Schmidt and Søren Taaning under the name Skovsnogen (i.e. forest snake). The park began as a development projekt by The Outdoor Council, The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities and more, and the concept was “Naturrum” (i.e. nature setting). The project aimed to create new users of nature from social groups that usually do not visit parks and forests. The park quickly showed great potential, especially in the number of visitors, and today, we are visited by more than 25.000 people annually.
Deep Forest Art began at the local level as a private-public partnership. From the beginning, we have been anchored in the local community through a partnership about the upkeep of the park. The partnerships consists of local businesses, associations and not least volunteers from Karstoft and Skarrild. Among other things, the local civic associations are always ready to lend a hand in connection with events and activities in the forest. In turn the local community uses Deep Forest Art Land to promote their towns – both online and on the town sign,
In 2016, Deep Forest Art Land became a self-governing institution and a cultural institution under Herning Municipality. Same year, The Bikuben Foundation granted funds for a four-year development project which will further develop the work with young, artistic talents as well as develop the social potential.
Cabin in the Woods by Anna Bak
Vindspejlet by Ragnhild May and Ea Borre
