Morten Søkilde: Miniature moments of being

On a visit to the Danish poet, writer and artist Morten Søkilde in his Copenhagen studio, where he talks about his fascination for the world of miniatures.

Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

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Supported by Nordea-fonden.

(Ticking of clocks)

(Sounds of music box)

It appeals very much
to the dream world, to recollection.

And it could also somehow
stimulate the imagination --

in a very powerful way.

And I in reality, it is perhaps
a desire to create pictures --

about stillness and presence.

(Sounds of )

The miniature is the refuge of the great.

The quality of miniatures
or small things is in reality,

the concentration of information.

The sharper the diamond is ground
the more beautiful the gem looks

and it is in the fact the processing
of three-dimensional forms

that increases their value

There is a figure so small

that he can split a dust particle
with his forehead

and step through it with his whole body.

So, that's pretty small right?

(Sounds of music box)

In a way the artist works with remnants,
society's remnants

this is always the area with potential

I am a thing finder and its so extreme
that every time I ...

Some shoes are so badly made
that they lose their labels.

A kind of red thing under the shoe,
in the sole

I have been finding them for ten years.
Each time, I pick up one like that.

Because I use the as stairs.

When I have enough, I use them as steps.

So suddenly the world is incredibly large
with regard to materials.

It's all about ideas.

The premise right from the start has been

to collect items from the world around
that are already manufactured.

And take them and put them
into my own contexts

and use them on the miniature level.

It "mimes" something else,
that you don't see at first,

but which has it's origin
in a completely different function.

But this kind of disappears.
It is dissolved.

And of course there are also things
that already have an age --

a certain ambiance that matches
this poetic universe,

because I aim to generate images

that may encourage you
to linger a while in them

and materials that have a certain age
radiate a restraint --

and a value that I feel is poetic.

(Sounds of music box)

We are very stimulated.

I think we're living in what's called
"the great social epoch".

We exchange a lot.

The downside is perhaps
that things don't have time to mature.

We are very quick to take action
in all kinds of context.

But art is a space reserved
for a certain spontaneity.

A place where you don't have answers
and don't need to produce.

You go back to just being.

As they say, we are
"human doings" or "human beings"

I feel attracted to the idea
of just being allowed to be.

I am interested in presence.

And that is perhaps found more
in stillness and reflection.

One can speak of ...
without sounding pathetic --

there is actually something called
"the artist's great loneliness".

(Ticking of clocks)

And it suits me just fine,

that this place here dilapidated and worn.

It seems so much more relaxed to me,

this is definitely my oasis.

(Ticking of clocks)