The exhibition brings together a wide range of materials and techniques ranging from weaving, textile printing and embroidery to graphic design, bookbinding, handmade paper, clay, photography, video and sound. This versatility helps create a holistic narrative, where every detail – whether it’s a process tapestry, a sketch or a finished piece – contributes to an overall experience of wholeness and mutability. Here, blue is not just a colour, but an element that binds the space together and evokes a sense of both intimacy and wonder.

The natural spring light that streams in through Willemoesgade’s street trees plays a crucial role. The light continuously transforms the space, and the expression of the installations changes with the path of the sun. This interaction between light and colour creates a dynamic environment where the space itself becomes an active participant in the exhibition. The audience is invited to become part of this process – bring your own book or PC, sit on the blue cushion in the window and experience how the space changes with time and the creative impulses from the group.

The conceptual starting point of the exhibition is an abstraction of the living room, a space that originally functions as the home’s workshop, which is reinvented and renewed here. Elements from the familiar everyday life – bell strings, wallpaper, versions of the Christmas plate, vases, and even a wonderful reference to the Bornholm clock and the passage of time by the sound of water droplets continuously falling vertically and then meeting the horizontal surface – are woven into the narrative, giving the space a welcoming, intimate and recognisable character. It is an innovative interpretation of how we can look at the things that surround us and how they can take on a new aesthetic and meditative dimension.

BLUE HAND’s collaboration is evident throughout the exhibition. The group, consisting of craft artists with different professional backgrounds, have through dialogue and cross-fertilisation together developed a holistic work where both vulnerability and strength are clear elements. The members have mutually challenged each other and tested new practices – a process that is illustrated by images and sketches from the workshop work and sculptures that bring contrasts into play, such as hard materials and organic forms. Here, ‘setting the needle free in embroidery’ becomes a symbol of a creative process that is constantly evolving and, like life itself, never stands still.

In addition to the permanent installations, the exhibition offers a rich programme of events that support the interactive and dialogue-based approach. During the exhibition period, two members of Blue Hand will be present, and events include Blue Monday meditations, where the audience can learn from the exhibiting craft artists and are invited to ask questions about their practices. The programme also includes a blue calligraphy performance by Watanabe Fugaku on Wednesday 26 March and a tea tasting with tea from nearby Sing Teahouse – elements that expand the sensory experience and invite reflection on how the colour blue can both calm and inspire.

What makes Gesamtkunstwerksted particularly fascinating is its mutability. The space is a living exhibition piece, where new additions and transformations occur continuously in line with audience interaction and the creative input from Blå Hånd. This dynamic emphasises that mastering and creating value in crafts is a process without fixed boundaries – a process where collaboration and community are crucial. It is an exhibition environment that reflects the unpredictability of life and the constant evolution that characterises both art and everyday life.

Overall, GESAMTKUNSTVÆRKSTED is an inspiring and thought-provoking exhibition that manages to unite the traditions of the past with today’s experimental approach to crafts. It is a universe where blue is not just a colour, but a fundamental element that creates an in-depth dialogue between light, materials and sensory impressions – a dialogue that both engages and challenges the viewer.

It is an inspiring meeting point that invites reflection, participation and immersion – a true celebration of how the changing hues of light and colour can give us new insights into both ourselves and the world around us.

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