SE 2006 Vennelyst, Frederiksberg Gardens and The Palaces and Properties agency.
For the past 25 years, the SE exhibitions have been staged in sober, well-lit exhibition spaces with proper podiums. (Not entirely true, Check out SE ReMix)This year, we step outside. Outside the museum space and into a public park that radiates history, beauty and life.

Includes Hurrah and One for luck.

This year’s exhibition focuses on the bold and the welcoming. We set formalities aside for awhile and throw ourselves headlong into a popular public space.

SE is a collaboration between 64 furniture manufacturers and architects. SE´s aim is to develop and annually exhibit new and experimental pieces of furniture containing high quality craftsmanship and artistic value. The collaboration functions as a laboratory for new thought within design of furniture for the future and the development of concepts.

Design by Jeremy Walton, 2006. Frederiksberg Gardens and The Palaces and Properties agency.
Designed and made for SE 2006 ‘Vennelyst’,
‘Inspired by an appreciation of real Danish life, the humour and personality of the people in Denmark. The ‘Hygge’ in birthdays, family gatherings and raising the flag. The dinner speeches and flag waving. The shorts and the long one at the end.’
For Family, friends and colleagues. For summer.

‘Hurrah and one for Luck’ or in danish ’Hurra og Så det lange’

Hurrah and one for luck, 2005.

Danish ‘Hurrah og Så det lange’ similar to hip hip hurrah. The Danes love celebrations, togetherness with familie, colleges or friends. At the end of a speech, which they also love, they end with a hip hip hurrah, then a long hurrraaahh. You need to be there really.

I should also point out that, along with loving the get togethers they love hoisting the flag. They have days of the year, known as flag days, such as royal birthdays and national days. The workers get a day or a couple of half-days for solidarity, then there is personal birthdays that are all marked with flags up.

Bird Knop, a bird box made in a garden shed.

In the spirit of garden shed production the bird box is made using aluminum sheet, some spare wood and a coat of paint. The SE exhibition was named Vennelyst after a Kolonihave association in Copenhagen, This could be a long story. Kolonihave associations are small allotted areas of land that, back in history were set aside for use as weekend gardens for people that live in the more built up areas of Copenhagen. They vary from vegetable gardens to small gardens with wooden houses that people live in, weather permitting.

People normally build these house themselves and or at least over time have repaired them and built on to them in their own unique and often charming way. That’s not the full story, but it will do for now.

Hurrah.

A six person picnic bench with a 4 meter long flag pole that also acts as a leg.

SE is under the patronage of HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. His majesty opened the exhibition and luckily, I had learnt all the flag dates and knew what time of day the flag should be lowered.

The bench is a magnet, not just for royalty, but harmonica players and real Danes alike.

One for Luck.

12+ person picnic bench with 6 meter high flag pole.
In spring and summer many people visit Frederiksberg Gardens for picnics, often to celebrate a birthday. People would get up early, take a book and sit out on the bench to reserve it for their planned family picnic celebration, flag up, hurrah.

Made for exhibition:

SE 2006 Vennelyst, Frederiksberg Gardens and The Palaces and Properties agency.
Sponsored by Danomast.

Both benches sold at Lauritz Passion day Auction 2006.