“The Water“ Installation in the Cisterns of Frederiksberg
In the middle of the park surrounding Frederiksberg Palace in Copenhagen, two unremarkable flights of steps lead into the underworld. They open up to the public a place that exists in many cities but that usually remains concealed. The Cisterns of Frederiksberg were built in the 18th century as an open water reservoir for the palace. After the democratisation about 150 years ago they were moved underground for the drinking water supply of the population and to prevent pandemic diseases. In the 1980s they were finally drained. Since 1996 they have been Copenhagen's most unusual exhibition space and consist of three large halls that have almost no daylight and are filled with rows of heavy pillars and elaborate brickwork arches. The temperature here is around 9 °C all year round, while the humidity is 100 % and the amount of CO2 in the air is five to ten times higher than it is out in the open above ground.
