Capture
Your
City
– what is everyday
magic to you?
Exhibition period
June 25 – October 7, 2020
55 photographs are exhibited as part of the ‘Capture Your City’ photo competition. The competition, held this year for the 5th consecutive year, set a record with over 5,500 photos submitted.
The selected photos, captured by ordinary Danes, document a historical time during the corona crisis. The motifs contribute with new perspectives on how we will use the city’s space in the future; from new ways of using the city and the home to new ways of being socially together – and separately.
The photo exhibition can be seen at Bryghuspladsen in front of the Danish Architecture Center throughout the exhibition period, but it also pops up elsewhere in the city space. The exhibition is free for everyone.
Pop-up exhibitions
June 25 – August 20: Copenhagen Central Station
August 21 – September 10: Hillerød Station
September 11 – October 7: Høje Taastrup Station
The winners
1st place
Asger Korsgaard Jensen
The jury says: The winning photo clearly has elements of documentary photography – and plays with the pink in the trees and the children’s clothing. It captures life during coronavirus, when even nature and the blossoming cherry trees in Bispebjerg Cemetery had to be cordoned off. And yet it is hopeful – life goes on, spring unfolds. Therein lies the magic, not just in everyday life, but perhaps in the world, too.
2nd place
Laura Lorence
The jury says: The photo of the woman in the window is both timeless and can be interpreted in light of the coronavirus situation, where we have been very isolated indoors. The mood is melancholy, and you can sense a longing to get out into the world – away from the loneliness. This is a photo that stays with you.
3rd place
Kirsten Damgaard
The jury says: Everyday magic is very strong here! The children have found their own space, away from Mom and Dad – high up on a roof. There is something magical about being able to have, even in the city, a secret place, a sanctuary – where you can create your own little world as a child. Perhaps all the extra time away from school has given children room for more for free play and imagination?
Loud silence captured in photographs
During the spring, photographers of all ages have captured their take on everyday magic, as part of Danish Architecture Center’s annual photo competition ‘Capture your city’. The initiative has come to live to make more people open their eyes to the architecture in the city and to discover how architecture sets the framework for our everyday life.
But it was also a spring that came with a surprise for most. Corona made the streets desolate, interrupting normal everyday life. This is reflected in many of the participating photos, which are far quieter and longing than noisy and festive. These are photos that communicate emotions and stories compared to traditional architectural photos. And they document a time that will in many ways affect our everyday lives – also in the future.
“There were surprisingly many photos of nature and green urban experiences, which indicates that there was a great need for these experiences during the corona quarantine,” says Camilla van Deurs, City Architect and jury member.
Tanya Lindkvist, program manager and jury member elaborates: “The photographs depict an interaction with the architecture, which differs from previous years. There is a much higher degree of intensity and personality in them. The pictures show renewed wishes and demands for closeness to nature and urban nature. The corona crisis has changed our view of the city. I think the crisis will affect our urban development; that we want to rethink public space, our urban space and our squares ”.
Come and experience a unique photo exhibition that focuses on a very special time in Danish history.
School contest winners
1st place
Theodore Knightley
5th grade, Ørestad Friskole
The jury says: The winning photo in the school contest is beautifully composed with lovely depth of perspective. It is at once very playful yet inquisitive – what happens when you look at the world through water? It captures the magic of a-ha moments when you suddenly discover how the world works.
2nd place
Julie Johansen
4th grade, Nibe Skole
The jury says: This photo exudes freedom – letting your hair down and getting rid of all your frustrations on a trampoline. It is everyday magic at home in suburbia! The photo also has a lovely symmetry in its structure.
3rd place
Ingrid Leerstrup Reingaard
Spirerne, Freinetskolen
The jury says: This photo captures a lovely detail – that many adults might overlook. The grass battling its way up through the asphalt reminds us of nature’s wondrous strength and capacity to survive. Imagine if our cities continued to be as empty as they have been during the coronavirus crisis – how quickly would nature take over?