postcards - martina zamboni's copenhagen
Martina Zamboni's lived a fairly nomadic lifestyle over the years, but right now she's in the depth of a romance with Copenhagen, so we grabbed the opportunity for a tour of her adopted town.
Earlier this year we chatted with photographer Martina Zamboni, an Italy-born world wanderer who has over the years called Verona, Brussels, Copenhagen and Melbourne home.
While living this nomadic lifestyle she's had an on-again, off-again relationship with Copenhagen, but right now Martina is in the depths of a great romance with the Danish capital, so we grabbed the opportunity for a tour of her adopted town.
Firstly, please tell us a little bit about the neighbourhood that you live in. Nørrebro is the sort of place where walls are covered in graffiti ('one man's trash, another man's treasure,' says the most iconic) and street kiosks sell a mix of Middle Eastern specialties and traditional meatballs. Its main artery, Nørrebrogade, is the busiest bike lane in Europe: every day 35,000 bikes cross the bridge that connects the city with Nørrebro and flock to the multitude of cafés, retro junk shops and Bollywood movie rentals. Rent is affordable and the density of students, artsy types and impossibly cool baristas is obviously high, second only to nearby Vesterbro, but I like that the atmosphere here is slightly rougher and less pretentious.
What kind of house/apartment do you live in? Is it typical of the architecture in that area? I live in a small room in a dorm that is neither typical nor pretty. It's a ten-storey modernist nightmare of bricks and concrete, complete with sweeping views over the nearby train station. It's so ugly that it's sort of fascinating.
What kind of stereotype has Copenhagen earned, and how is it different to what people expect? With nordic food having a golden moment, the local food scene is thriving, so expect more than just pickled herrings.
How is your city changing? When I came back after a two-year stint overseas, I found a bunch of construction sites for the new metro line and took note of the fact that the cool kids had moved two blocks down the road. I guess Copenhagen is just not the sort of place that gets a complete facelift every few years. Obviously things change all the time, but it's a slow process. I am looking forward to seeing a more diverse Copenhagen in the future.
What album do you think would be the best soundtrack for walking around? A friend just introduced me to Rainbow Arabia, so I would go with that.
If you had a day to take an Australian around your town on a Sunday afternoon, what would you do? I'd start the day in Jægersborggade, with a cup of coffee from the Coffee Collective (www.coffeecollective.dk/) and maybe a pastry from nearby Meyer's bakery (http://www.clausmeyer.dk/en/meyers_bakeries.html), the latest venture of local celebrity chef Claus Meyer. If it's summer we'd pack a lunch and head to the harbour for a casual swim and a little archi-tour. The best museum is the Ordrupgaard (www.ordrupgaard.dk/), which houses a fantastic collection of mid-century design and a shiny modern wing by Zara Hadid. In the end, the best way to spend the day is just biking around aimlessly and finishing it off with a beer in the sun.
What is the local creative community like? Are there predominant local crafts? The latest trend is starting a tech company, or at least everyone I know seems to be doing that. The predominant craft must be coffee brewing.
How does your city change with the seasons? How has this influenced your work? Everyone thinks that winters over here must be horrible, but actually I would take a Danish winter over a Melbourne one every single day: more snow, warmer houses (hello, double glazing!). The rest of the year is a different story, but at least the consistent supply of drizzly days between October and May means that I eventually get some work done.
Tell us about the spaces and places you have photographed for us. I followed the neighbourhood's main road, Nørrebrogade, for its entire length, starting at the more polished southern end, where rows of pastel houses overlook a big, shallow lake. The street continues along the yellow walls of the Assistens cemetery and goes on into the grittier part of the neighbourhood, where it finally ends under a decrepit railway bridge. I made a detour to Jægersborggade, a cobbled side street that used to have a reputation for drug dealing and today is one of Copenhagen's creative hotspots.
Where is the best place to have a picnic? If you are lucky, you'll have access to a rooftop. If not, the Assistens kirkegaard is possibly the liveliest cemetery in the world, used by for everything from jogging to sunbathing.
Where is the best place to see a gig? MusikSmag, a hole-in-the wall bar with horrifying carpets and a two-item menu (Carlsberg and lambrusco), where I always meet interesting people.
Where is the best place to get a drink? Sitting by the water with a beer from the 7-11. If the weather is awful, Mikkeler in Stefansgade.
Where is the best place to buy a vintage dress? The summer market in Onkel Dannys Plads.