Himmelhoj and Alfio Bonanno

For today's class, we had the great opportunity to explore Himmelhoj, with its creator, Alfio Bonanno. Bonanno is a world-renowned artist who specializes in natural installations, utilizing materials that you would find in nature. His inspiration comes from natural landscapes, examining small details that spark his curiosity. During his lecture, Bonanno explained how in today's world, very little is left to our imaginations, due to the continually expanding digital world. As a result, human intuition, which Bonanno considers to be focal to his art, has become diminished. This statement made me reflect and think deeply about my own life and experiences, as I had never contemplated this notion.

Himmelhoj is a natural greenspace that is located on Amager Island, containing four installations created by Bonanno. The Amager Arc is the central component out of all of the installations. Upon arrival, I was in awe of the massive ship, which measured 60 meters in length. The arc felt very natural and almost seemed to melt into the landscape. During our visit, I noticed a group of kids running around and playing on the arc. They were enjoying the space, and I couldn't help but notice how pleased it made Bonanno feel. It was clear how passionate he was about his natural installations, but more importantly, how passionate he was about making other people happy through his art. 

Bonanno explained how the functionality of his natural installations were so important to him, and continually stressed how he has had to manipulate his art pieces, in order to make them safe for children to play on. Bonanno went on to reveal that although his installations have become popular with many people, they have been subject to vandalism over the years. This was hard for me to listen to, as it was obvious that he felt helpless in protecting his installations, pieces of art that he loved and had dedicated so much of his life to. Overall, my experience with Alfio Bonanno was deeply inspiring, and I look forward to seeing more of his creations in the future.