Electronic music and romance at Herningsholm Museum

What happens when a young composer gets exclusive access to an otherwise closed museum for several days at a time? When he gets a unique opportunity to be completely alone between all of Blicher’s original objects in an old, authentic manor house that helped lay the foundation for the Central Jutland textile industry as we know it today?

In a completely new collaboration between the musician Andreas Stent Lundby, Museum Midtjylland, Fermaten and Swinging Europe, we focused on the above question. One week in May 2020, Andreas Stent Lundby, with the artist name STENT, replaced his sound studio in Copenhagen with the historical setting of Herningsholm Museum. The collaboration arose as an inter-institutional initiative, where art, culture and inspiration merged – and the museum became a muse for the musical process.

“Right now, all our museums are closed. And even though we really miss our guests, it also offers some unique opportunities to try out new creative initiatives. That is why we are extremely happy that this collaboration with Swinging Europe, Fermaten and musician Andreas Stent Lundby has come to fruition. Precisely because it reimagines the museum inside a completely new framework, where music, space and history are allowed to enter into a new form of synergy – and also have the opportunity to reach a new audience. And honestly: who wouldn’t want to sit and compose between Blicher’s objects?”

– Laura Liv Weikop, Executive Director of Museum Midtjylland

Even though the corona crisis has closed Denmark down several times, and the museums are empty and for a while unused, new opportunities may well arise from the situation in the form of untested collaborations, where music and history join in symbiosis and create completely new conditions.

The museum became a refuge for a future songwriter – and the usual framework for inspiration was shifted and created new musical works. The project therefore also resonated the history and DNA of Herning, when the shirt manufacturer Aage Damgaard in the 50’s invited Poul Gadegaard to decorate the Angli factory and later on in the 1960s, when artist Piero Manzoni was invited to work in Herning.

“I am excited about this opportunity, I am excited to test new frameworks for my creativity and not least, I am excited to be able to do it in such a unique place, as a museum. Therefore, I did not hesitate for a second to accept the offer to try to create my music on Herningsholm, where I can sit in a historic building and blend in with the art.”

– Andreas Stent Lundby, Musician

The project ran from 19th – 22nd May 2020, and was documented along the way by the musician himself, Andreas Stent Lundby, in the shape of video diaries, which were made available on both Museum Midtjylland’s, Fermaten and Swinging Europe’s social media. The culmination of the collaboration will be a live concert at Herningsholm Museum in 2021, as soon as possible.