We asked Tilde – a sourdough-loving Neil Young fan – a few questions about her roots, her inspirations, and her artistic practice. Keep reading to find out more about the colourful, meditative world that lies behind our latest Art Fix limited edition series, Slow Music Rituals.
1. Denmark’s design heritage is known for its minimalism and functionality. How has growing up and working in this cultural landscape influenced your artistic style?
I’ve been asked this before, understandably. But the truth is, I didn’t grow up with knowledge of Danish design. My parents were hippies – a pedagogue and a carpenter – and we didn’t have a lot of money. Our furniture was inherited or something my dad had saved from a dumpster, and restored into beautiful new pieces of furniture. We had pictures of Native Americans on the walls, and guitars and hand woven blankets. Music dominated my childhood, and that’s what influenced me the most growing up. When I was 10 years old, my mom married an Englishman, and we moved to London for a year, before returning to Copenhagen again. The English influence in the ’80s was full of music, humour, colours, and definitely not minimalistic. So I grew up in a more international cultural landscape. I didn’t discover minimalism and Danish design until later in life. And, even though I’m proud to say that Denmark has this rich design heritage that I’m now a part of, I’m not sure how it has influenced my work. I see myself more as a musical expressionist, working with wood and textile.
2. Walk us through your process of creating your work, from initial inspiration to the final piece. How does your studio look? What’s the ideal working environment?
I work very freely. When I get an idea for a sculpture, I am able to carry it out as soon as I go to my workshop in the countryside, surrounded by a little forest, five minutes’ walk from a fjord. I share a woodworking space with my carpenter dad, where he’s retired. He has taught me everything I know about woodworking and how to work the machines. We’ve spent countless hours together in the workshop, listening to music, talking and joking, building stuff. He can build anything, even a house – how cool is that? If I want to work with glass or brass, I ask him how, and he shows me. I have been fortunate to work with a master who not only teaches me all he knows, but also loves me. I think that is a big part of my woodwork. After constructing the sculpture in the woods, I bring it to my studio in the middle of Copenhagen, where I also live with my husband and son. Here, I paint the sculptures, sew and work on other projects as well. For me it is the perfect combination of city and countryside. And that is my ideal working environment: a safe place where I feel completely free.
3. How would you describe your evolution as an artist over the years? Are there pivotal moments or shifts that have shaped your current practice?
I think there have been many pivotal moments that have shaped me as an artist. First gallery exhibition, interesting collaborations. But also moments that have shaped me as a person, in turn, influencing me as an artist. My son getting older and less dependent on me, the whole letting-go of that. And the latest, menopause, that totally knocked me out – leaving me unspeakably tired, hopeless and uninspired. It changed everything radically, like nothing I can recall experiencing before. I dived into it, and really tried to swim with the current, but I just couldn’t. It was too strong and I got lost. So my doctor prescribed me a small dose of oestrogen every day, which got me back on my feet. It definitely changed me and the way I practice art. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I feel more rooted in my practice now, and today I am very grateful. Grateful for everything, actually.
4. ‘Slow Music Rituals’ is such a poetic title. Could you tell us about the concept behind this series and how it reflects your personal relationship with music and creativity?
It struck me, that the whole practice of creating the sculptures, and the repetition of movements, are almost like rituals. There is a rhythm to the movements I make, like the rhythm in slow music, every shape and colour has its place and I slowly circle around to find it. So that’s what I leaned into – the closeness and comfort of rhythm and ritual, amidst what feels like strange, despairing and uncertain times.
5. In this series, we see references to Hilma Af Klint’s (semi-) circular symbols. Was her work an inspiration for the series? Which other artists inspire your artistic language?
When I first came across artists like Hilma Af Klint, Franciska Clausen, Sonia Delaunay and the women of Bauhaus, though they’re all different artists, I felt an immediate connection – as if we were speaking the same language. So it actually feels like more than inspiration. This series was like an extension of a conversation I started a long time ago with all of the above. This time, discussing how to convey hope and joy, and trying to catalyse all that energy into every single object, in shape and colour.
Bonus question: Each unique piece in SMR feels like a deeply personal invitation into a whimsical, yet reflective world. If someone were to bring one of these works into their home, what kind of energy or emotion do you hope it would bring to their space?
One word, in all its meaning: Joy.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS
In three words, describe ‘Slow Music Rituals’.
Poetic wooden reliefs.
What’s something you can’t live without at your studio?
Light
The key to a good hygge evening?
Good company
You get a week to collaborate with any musician of your choice! Who’s your dream collaborator?
Neil Young.
What’s your biggest virtue and vice?
Not sure, but I trust that the one will outweigh the other at the end of the day.
Endless summer days or cosy winter evenings?
Endless summer days.
Danish pastries or freshly baked sourdough?
Freshly baked sourdough·
The song that never fails to get you on your feet?
Tiny moves by Bleachers.
The most treasured piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“Laugh, smile, love, look, listen.” – most treasured advice from someone who is not here anymore.
Tell us a secret about yourself that might surprise us ?
Hmm… If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret 🙂
