Tranberg returns to a ”a place full of spirit” which she remembers from her childhood – the area around the church St Petri in central Copenhagen. This is a place she often thinks about, keeping in mind the magical feeling from her childhood, but which she has not visited for many years. The space, she feels, gives ”an intense feeling of a gap – of something people have forgotten existed.” It is a spot which you can learn from, full of layers of history. When you are there you are framed by buildings full of character, craft, knowledge and stories. ”This is humanity in a way” Tranberg continues. It is not designed like most things today, and thus also works as a reminder that sometimes we should just let things happen: ”I love things that are open – inviting things to happen.”

St. Petri Kirke is the parish church of the German-speaking community in Copenhagen, Denmark. Built as a single-nave church in the mid-15th century, it is the oldest building in central Copenhagen. The main entrance is located in the southern transept and is marked by a richly carved Baroque portal from 1731, carved by the sculptor Diderik Gercken. The spire from 1756 to 1757 is built in the Rococo style. Together with the St. Petri School and St. Petri Center of Culture, both of which are located on the church’s premises, it forms a center for German culture in Copenhagen.

Lene Tranberg (b. 1956) is a Danish architect and the head architect and co-founder of Lundgaard & Tranberg Architects, which is responsible for a number of high-profile buildings in Copenhagen, including the Tietgen Student Hall and the Royal Danish Playhouse. Tranberg began teaching at the Royal Academy of Architecture in 1986 and was employed there as a lector from 1989 to 1998. She has held numerous positions in the world of Danish architecture, including CEO of the Danish Architecture Centre from 1998 to 2002. Tranberg is the recipient of the prestigious awards such as the Eckersberg Medal (1994), C.F. Hansen Medal (2005) and Prince Eugen Medal for Architecture (2014). For more see: http://www.ltarkitekter.dk/

Lene Tranberg was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2013.

Camera: Mathias Nyholm
Edited by: Kamilla Bruus
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2013

Supported by Nordea-fonden