FRONTGARDENKITCHEN was an architectural/artistic installation by the Danish architect Gitte Juul, developed on the ground of, and produced by InstantHerlev institute. This particular installation is part of an ongoing series of exhibitions developed at InstantHerlev institute grounds either by invitation or as part of a larger exhibition project curated by Anja Franke or other curators.
Materials: mixed; installation.
Project by Architect Gitte Juul for InstantHERLEV institute
Frontgardenkitchen
23 August – 2 Oktober, 2011.
InstantHERLEV institute invited architect Gitte Juul to create an exhibition
inspired by the concept of the Danish “parcelhuse” (for the single family, usually one story with a small garden surrounding the house. This typology spread through the 50’s and 60’s to become the dominant form of housing for upper working class and middle class families in Denmark). The exhibition aimed to demonstrate the very productive dialogue that could occur between the public and the private by reworking the use of the space where these two meet.
With this in mind Gitte Juul created the exhibition: FRONTGARDENKITCHEN, to expand the limits contained in the concepts of “mine” or “yours” and to break down the hierarchy found between inside and outside, indoors and outdoors. The FRONTGARDENKITCHEN was an installation mixing interior and exterior elements such as plants, tools and furniture to create this awareness. For this purpose the exhibition focused on the meal as an event – removed from the “parcelhouse” usual kitchen elements, normally designed to reflect family togetherness – and brought the kitchen out into public space. On one level, abandoning its 60 cm x 60 cm element system, and on another, by putting a series of components, combined into new constellations that took part in creating a dialogue between the surroundings, plants and people. All the plants cultivated were edible and visitors could walk straight in from the pavement into the front garden and prepare their own salad. In the hedge between the public and private space a long kitchen table was placed with a kitchen sink, a water hose, a washing up tray, kitchen utensils and garden tools. In the front garden, between flowers and plants, a long dining table has also placed, with benches so exhibition guests can sit and eat their salad.
