Work text
(by Lotte Løvholm, Olivia Rode Hvass and Alice-Alex Topsøe Jensen)
Located on the lake in front of the Kurhuset, Olivia Rode Hvass has created She listens but she can’t speak. A reed house, as if from a bygone era, surrounds a yellowish cocoon. The house with the cocoon floats on the lake like a surreal dream image. It is a monument to Rode Hvass’ friend and fellow artist, Alex.
Three years ago, Alex became very ill and has not been outside since. At times, she has been unable to speak, and for 9 months she has been hospitalized in psychiatric care. Due to the lack of words, Alice and Olivia have communicated through writing, drawing, and hands holding hands.
During a visit, Rode Hvass drew a cocoon for Alex, in which she could hide until she feels better—a symbol of quiet transformation. The idea for the work emerged from this drawing. The cocoon inside the house can be glimpsed through the window and door, where Rode Hvass has preserved the reeds’ flowers to give the house a furry and soft feeling among the stiff stalks. The cocoon is made of construction foam, typically used for insulation in houses—hidden behind walls and ceiling boards, the yellow material lies alongside insects.
Inspired by the vegetation around the lake and the beach at Sankt Hans, Rode Hvass has used reeds to build the house, like those found at the water’s edge.
Reeds are particularly suitable for building in wetlands, as they do not rot once they have dried. The house points toward a future where flooding will define building methods and materials—and looks back to earlier times, when reeds were used worldwide to build everything from Danish thatched roofs and South American reed boats to the beautiful floating reed house-islands of the Ma’dan people in Iraq.
As the only work in the exhibition that can be seen outdoors at all hours of the day, the piece evolves over time and is affected by wind and weather.
In her practice, Rode Hvass often explores loneliness and critiques of power, highlighting the importance of caring communities, which face difficult conditions in our busy, individualized culture.
Not every Alex has an Olivia. The cocoon is therefore dedicated to all those who are currently hiding in the darkness.
Credits:
The work is inspired by and dedicated to my dear friend Alice-Alex Topsøe Jensen
Studio technician: Claus Hvass
Assistants: Gunvor Lisborg, Anton Mondrup Larsen, Jonas Rode Hvass, Sarah Mondrup
Thatching reeds: Carlo F Christensen and the whole technical team at Museet for Samtidskunst
Consultation: Claus Hvass, Uno Rose, Rolf Nowotny, Lotte Løvholm