Brothers Gonna Work it Out at Roskilde Festival 2008

Roskilde is the town in Denmark where the Danes bury their Kings (and one Queen) and still build Viking ships as if it was not going out of style. They have have a rather large cathedral with twin towers that can be seen from miles away.

You actually see them quite well when you stand inside of the huge area called Dyrskuepladsen (trans. the animal viewing place) in the outskirts of Roskilde. It is here the farmers come to buy, sell and look at animals. It is also here thousands of people from all over the world gather for about a week every year since 1971. Inspired by the Woodstock Festival that took place three years earlier, some young kids decided to make their own festival, and it worked. The big Orange stage (below) of the festival, also has the three peaks, as the cathedral.

Roskilde Festival has now become one of the most respected music festivals on earth. Artists are delighted to perform for the loving audience that sees their time at the Roskilde Festival as part of their life and education. 

The above album cover is from the Chemical Brothers 10 year old remix album where they released classic tunes such as Block Rockin' Beats and Mother Earth. The brothers--that are not from the same mother--will also perform at 2008's festival, and they say its gonna be funky.

humantohuman - the 2008 theme

Above art by Lee "Scratch" Perry, who donated his work to humantohuman. humantohuman is the idea behind Roskilde Festival’s humanitarian focus. The festival audience help people in need all over the world. From one person to another – human to human.

Each year Roskilde Festival chooses an overall theme – and within this framework the audience gets an opportunity to reflect upon a contemporary humanitarian concern. This year (2008) the theme is "Fair Phone – Fair Future" which focuses on large electronics companies' responsibility for a sustainable development in this area.

Any profits from Roskilde Festival are donated directly to the Roskilde Festival Charity Society which, in turn, donates the money to humanitarian projects. Throughout the past 34 years, Roskilde Festival has donated more than € 13 million to, among many others, War Victims in Irak, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty International, Save the Children and WWF World Wildlife Foundation.

So how do you get there? Try this.

UPDATE 2010

In connection to Roskilde Festival 2010, the CO2 E - Race/CO2 Green Drive produced a version of the project in the city of Roskilde and at Roskilde Festival.



Above video about the project was made by Roskilde City.

The Danish Climate Minster at the time Lykke Friis, jumped up on a Green Electric Scooter 

The Black Glassed Triangle Pyramid!

...AND IN 2009

In 2009, The CO2 E - Race in collaboration with We Collaborate and Roskilde Festival, brought Muhammad Yunus to the festival, in a electric Jaguar. He was on Orange stage 15 minutes before Coldplay went on, in front over 40.000 people.

There was also a small exhibition of Electric vehicles and such.

NEW YORK CITY EXPANSION IN THE CARDS

 A short ferry ride away from Manhattan's Battery Park sits Governors Island, smack in between Brooklyn, Ellis Island, Staten Island and Manhattan.



There have been endless proposals to turn it into everything from a Nickelodeon (think Sponge Bob Square Pants) Theme Park, to a luxury Island with condos, hotels and casinos. However, they have all been thrown out and now new plans are being made to make the amazing location into a place for all New Yorkers to come and enjoy the views and historical aspects of the island.


The Statue of Liberty is next door.



And a new Sataue of Liberty Sculpture has been installed in the ground of the island.




Plans for a walking and bicycle path around the island has been put forward by the Dutch urban design and landscape architecture firm West 8.



West 8 suggested designing a 40-acre park for Governors Island, which will include a fleet of 3,000 wooden bicycles free for use by island visitors.

New buildings and modernisations will probably not be erected on the island, thankfully!

Another Green Suggestion!

The island is perfect for stressed out New Yorkers to go to and chill out on, in the summertime with nice cool sea breezes and large green areas 

The Native Americans of the Manhattan region referred to the Island as Pagganck (“Nut Island”)
after the Island’s plentiful hickory, oak and chestnut trees. Its location made the Island a
perfect fishing camp for local tribes and many residents of the area used the Island seasonally. In
June of 1637, Wouter Van Twiller, representative of Holland, purchased Governors Island from the Native
Americans of Manahatas for two ax heads, a string of beads, and a handful of nails.

Above Dutch  Wouter van Twiller purchased 'Noten Eylant', later called Governors Island^[1] from a tribe of Canarsee Indians for two axe heads, a string of beads and some iron nails.

In recognition of Governors Island’s momentous 1624 legacy that is reflective of New York’s identity of tolerance―the lifeblood of American liberty―the Foundation for Historic New Amsterdam has proposed
placing a 151 foot (46 m) high version of Barnett Newman's sculpture Broken Obelisk - dedicated by him to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - as a Tolerance Monument.



The Tolerance Monument would be the centerpiece of Historic New Amsterdam; a proposed 50 acre Tolerance Park on the island's southern tip. It would visualize Goverrnors Island as the oldest natural historic National Symbol. The Starshaped Fort Jay is also worth a visit, see a 3D laser animation here



A proposal has been tendered to adaptively reuse Castle Williams (former prison) on the island for a New Globe Theater, designed by architect Norman Foster. Since the fortification was constructed for the War of 1812, to defend America against the British, the not-for-profit organization is working
in partnership with Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London to create a cultural center.



Governors Island was also the place for one of history's important conversations between Reagan and Gorby back in the last days of the Cold War.



Manhattan skyline seen from the Governors Island Ferry, shot by Edward of "Wired New York"
More visitors information about Governors Island:
http://www.gipec.org/
http://www.govisland.com/ 

UPDATE FROM THE TRIANGLE PROJECT'S EXHIBITION ON THE ISLAND:




Midsummer Solstice 2008
Every Triangle Project artist going from Copenhagen to New York brought along white cubes through the customs and security controls. It was part of the group effort and collaboration to build a Pyramid on Governors Island.

This in a similar way they built the Pyramids and  Stonehenge. It was made possible by the artists good intent and Peter Lassen's good will. The building in the back is Building 14 where the Emergence Exhibition was housed. The Emergence Project got an artist grant from Black Rock Arts Foundation, was in collaboration with Figment and was part of the Figment events on Governors Island in 2008.

Click on images to enlarge and read text.

UPDATE 2012

A Vision of a Windmill sculpture on Governors Island came one day while walking over Brooklyn Bridge

A Windmill as a new NY skyline item?

And of course the wings of the Windmill would have LED light baked into them, so the sky can be lit up with colors relevant of the time of the year. Like a little Hello to Empire State Building on Manhattan.